Mary McCleary

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, and spent 11 years in Europe. I found the contrast between the enterprising, forward-looking American ideal and the ancient European cultural heritage fascinating. Among other things, I've been a vice-president at an investment management company in Maryland, and the president of an educational NGO in Brussels. I'm also actively involved in Daughters of the American Revolution and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America. When I moved to Boston 9 years ago, I thought I was prepared for the harsh climate. Wrong! So, to combat the winter blues, I set out to find all that was good in the region and ended up enjoying the city immensely. I suppose the easiest explanation for my varying degrees (music conservatory grad, political science B.A., English literature M.A., and editorial studies Ph.D.) is that I prefer the Renaissance model over the utilitarian approach to education – and to life! I also applied that interdisciplinary perspective to my doctoral dissertation, which was on the Shakespearean libretti of Giuseppe Verdi. As for the NBP, I’m glad they’ve welcomed me, Independent political views and all. Like the bridge in their logo, the NBP tries to bring people of different backgrounds together by focusing on the good that unites them, rather than the acrimony that divides them.