Faculty biography - Mary Scott-Boria
Mary Scott-Boria (Urban Studies Program Director, Core Course Leader, Preceptor) is a lifelong resident of Chicago, having witnessed Chicago, “the city that works,” from many interesting perspectives; from a young teenager experiencing Chicago as a place of many uprising and social movements, to an activist and professional deeply committed to ensuring that the city works for everyone.
Mary has over 30 years of experience and knowledge of Chicago’s communities, having worked as a professional social worker and human services administrator in several not for profit organizations. Her work and interests have been in women and youth issues and in community organizing and politics. She served as the founding executive director of the Chicago Sexual Assault Services Network, director of Youth Services Project (YSP), and a founding executive member of the Cook County Democratic Women. As director of Women’s Services for the Metropolitan YWCA, she became interested in global issues of violence against women and visited women’s anti-violence projects in Ghana and South Africa. Her background in anti-racism education and organizing has kept her involved in issues of racial justice since the late 60s.
Mary holds a master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her leadership in the Anti-Racism Institute of Clergy and Laity Concerned led her to seminary where she recently completed her Master of Divinity degree from the McCormick Theological Seminary here in Chicago. She serves on the training team of the Christian Peacemakers Teams and is active with the Mikva Challenge Foundation and CLAIM (Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers). She lives in the Humboldt Park community and takes advantage of the many opportunities to experience, in sight, sound, words and movement, this vibrant multicultural and intensely interesting city.