Prior to joining Appleseed, she served three years as Senior Counsel for the Criminal Justice Program of The Constitution Project in Washington, D.C., where she advocated for ensuring competent counsel and other constitutional rights for the criminally accused. Her other criminal justice policy experience includes two years as National Affairs Assistant for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mary also spent two years in private practice at the Washington, D.C., office of Baker Botts, LLP. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she was a member of the Virginia Law Review editorial board and co-chaired the Virginia Innocence Project Student Group. She received her undergraduate degree from Wake Forest University.