Mary was born in small town Renfrew, Ontario and spent the first part of her life on the farm and in rural areas of the Ottawa Valley. In 2004 she relocated to the hamlet of Ennismore, Ontario in the Kawarthas. She completed her Joint Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Political Science and Gender and Women’s Studies at Trent University in 2012, and a Diploma in Ecosystems Management at Sir Sandford Fleming College School of Environment and Natural Resource Studies in 2013. From 2013-2014 Mary completed her Master of Arts Degree in Political Science with the specialization in Environment and Sustainability at the University of Western Ontario. Her research focused on Canadian municipal food politics and the policy instruments used to support local food systems.
Presently, Mary is a first year Doctorate student at the University of Waterloo in Geography and Environmental Management where she intends to continue her Master of Arts research using the case of the Waterloo Region. Her general research interests surround Canadian agri-food policy, Canadian multi-level governance, food access and population vulnerability, and natural resource management. Although Mary loves to travel and explore new regions, she keeps close to her roots by continuing to work on a local dairy farm and on a local beef farm when she visits home.