Mary Coleman

Mary has been a dynamic leader in schools and nonprofit organizations for nearly 20 years. After a 22-year career raising seven children, she entered the world of fundraising as director of donor relations at Woodberry Forest School. There, she managed stewardship for endowed funds totaling $200 million while pioneering diversity education programs for students.  Later, she worked as advancement director at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, VA, directing fundraising, marketing, and external relations.

 

A lifelong champion for youth, families, and racial justice, Mary developed evidence-based, dual-generation programs as executive director at City of Promise in Charlottesville where she grew revenue by over 200%. She served as interim executive director at the Chesterfield Education Foundation before moving to her current full-time role, traveling the state of Virginia to grow the pool of diverse blood donors for the American Red Cross.