Originally published on October 22, 2019.
Filled with a passion for helping underserved populations, and having spent the majority of her career working in child welfare, Mary Lucero makes a distinct difference in the world, having been recently named the chief executive officer of the Emergency Food Bank of Stockton and San Joaquin in Stockton, California.
In her new role, Mary oversees all operations of an agency that serves nearly 100,000 individuals each year and aims to build a stronger community by providing a safety net of healthy food, nutrition education, and hope to residents of San Joaquin County who find themselves in need. The population she serves is diverse and includes the aging population, children, single parent households, and veterans.
Proud of her work, she finds tremendous fulfillment in her career and considers herself “fortunate” to serve in a nonprofit organization she is passionate about and one that makes such a difference in the lives of so many.
Mary graduated from SUU’s master of public administration program and values the solid skill set she received that helped her quickly ascend in her career aspirations while also providing the opportunity to collaborate with other students whose professional careers were of interest to her. And while she acknowledges that earning a graduate degree can be stressful and demanding of one’s time, it also opens new vistas that would otherwise remain undiscovered.
“My educational experience at SUU opened my mind to a whole new world of possibility,” she says. “It provided me with a very broad and applicable skill set that I’ve been able to utilize in a variety of environments, including system partner collaboration and both government and nonprofit work.”
Tags: Public Administration
