Mary is the former director of access and lifelong learning at the University of Wolverhampton. She now runs her own consultancy business, which specialises in community, adult and lifelong learning. She works with education providers and companies who offer or are developing lifelong learning programmes as part of their portfolio.

Mary is passionate about ensuring that adults have the chance to continue or re-enter learning at any time during their lives. Her expertise lies in widening access and participation, programme development, innovation and inclusive practices to ensure that everyone can train, retrain or upskill across their adult life for reasons of employment or personal development. She has led and now consults on a range of strategic initiatives focused on putting learning at the heart of communities and on the role that learning can play in economic and social development.

Previous projects have included working with the WHO Healthy City and UNESCO Learning City initiatives and she has a track record in developing innovative community learning venues based on partnerships at every level of education to enable progression for adult learners.

She has a research background focused on the role of education and learning in health and wellbeing, together with an extensive track record in leadership in teaching, research and knowledge exchange and has worked in higher education in Australia, England and Wales.

Mary was appointed to the Corporation in May 2020.