Many of you have heard me say this on calls, but in all the ways that matter to a seven year old, this was one of my very first jobs. From stuffing conference packets, to driving through  the cornfields on the way to shows in Omaha and Iowa, to serving as your Uber driver for the 2017 Fall Conference, MAMES has always been part of my story. So why now? Because after years of work that took me across the country and around the world, this feels like coming home.

I have been incredibly lucky to hold some amazing roles throughout my career. From juvenile probation officer, to Peace Corps Volunteer, to assistant camp director, to director of development, my path has taken me many places both here and abroad. I have run events as small as five people along the shores of North Pond in central Maine and as large as 2,000 in the shadow of the nation’s capital. I have taught young people amongst their herds of reindeer while they summered in the mountains of northern Mongolia. I may not have known it then, but I was always going to come back to MAMES, where I learned the value of hard work and what happens when a community comes together to fight for something important.

Some of you have known me since that first gig at seven. Other, I am meeting for the first time. I am excited to get to know you all now as a passionate professional doing this important work alongside you.

I have seen what happens when your end users do not get the care or equipment they need, and from my home near Washington, D.C., I am seeing the federal changes impacting this industry up close. The work you do matters, and I am grateful to be buckled in and working hard alongside you.

It's our saying because we've seen it reign true over and over again - MAMES is all of YOU.

Excited, ready, and here with you - let’s do this!

Mary Schafhauser