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In August 2025 Mary accepted an opportunity to retire from Starbucks after 31 years of working in the Community and Government Affairs world. Her career began with a position with Contra Costa County which led her to oversee community efforts with Latino Leaders while employed by then California Senator Barbara Lee.
While she resided in Northern California she accepted positions with Kaiser Permanente, Northern California and launched the first ever Advocacy role focused on the Latino Community for Eli Lilly covering California, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizon, New Mexico and Texas.
Her career priority has always focused on creating a platform for those whose voice is seldom heard. She has led initiatives for her employers to create a stronger presence in low income communities and connecting them with elected officials
During her time serving as Deputy Director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs Division, as a gubernatorial appointee, she launched the initiative to promote fraud prevention programs by engaging local municipalities and community leaders. Her statewide team of over 120 Californians truly made a difference, especially for our elderly and language challenged residents
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for a statewide non-profit, Vision Y Compromiso and for a Los Angeles based Charter school, New Academy. Most recently, she was appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to serve as her appointee on the Recreation and Park Commission.
A dedicated San Fernando Valley native, she has never forgotten her roots of growing up with Spanish-only speaking parents that had one mission in life, to provide for their seven children. As a proud Latina, Mary hopes to stay engaged on issues that matter to all Angelenos and lifting the voice of many and securing a seat at decision making arenas.
She enjoys visiting Mexico and learning about her family’s roots which are based in Michoacan, Mexico. Her number one favorite activity is being on a sunny, warm beach like Puerto Nuevo, Baja, California.