Mary R. McNally (born March 1955) is an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...

, who served as a Democratic member of the

Montana Senate The Montana Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to ...

from the 24th District after previously representing the 47th District of the

Montana House of Representatives The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years. Composition of the House :''67th Legislature – 2021� ...

Early life and education

McNally received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

Urban Studies Urban studies is based on the study of the urban development of cities. This includes studying the history of city development from an architectural point of view, to the impact of urban design on community development efforts. The core theoretica ...

from

Worcester State College Worcester State University (WSU) is a public university in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1874 and enrolls nearly 5,500 undergraduates and over 900 graduate students. History Founded in 1874 as the Massachusetts State Normal Sch ...

in 1978, and then went on to

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

to complete a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

in 1980. She returned to school to the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where she completed a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

Economic Geography Economic geography is the subfield of human geography which studies economic activity and factors affecting them. It can also be considered a subfield or method in economics. There are four branches of economic geography. There is, primary sect ...

in 1991. McNally's dissertation was titled: "Developing American Indian Water Rights in Montana: Law and Local Context."

Education career

In September 1987, while enrolled at the University of Chicago, McNally began her teaching career as a fixed-term instructor at

Eastern Montana College Montana State University Billings (or MSU Billings) is a public university in Billings, Montana. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal School at its ...

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metro ...

. Four years later, she was hired as an Assistant Professor. McNally received promotions to Associate Professor (1994) and full Professor (2000). Administrative roles included being named Chair of the Management and Economics Department (1996-1998) and Interim Dean of the College of Business (2005-2006). In 2017, McNally retired from teaching and was given the title of Professor Emeritus of Management. Prior to McNally's tenure at Eastern Montana, she served as Dean at

Sinte Gleska College Sinte Gleska University (SGU) is a public tribal land-grant university in Mission, South Dakota, on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. This is a Brulé Lakota Indian Reservation home to the Sicangu (Burnt Thigh). SGU has an enrollment of 828 full ...

Mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large po ...

. During that time, the school began the first of the

tribal colleges and universities In the United States, tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are a category of higher education, minority-serving institutions defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965. Each qualifies for funding under the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Un ...

to receive a four-year accreditation.

Political career

McNally began her political career in 2010, while still a faculty member at Eastern Montana. She was elected to the

, representing the 49th District, which included part of Billings. McNally succeeded Kendall Van Dyk, and was reelected in 2012 for a second term. In 2014, McNally once again sought reelection to the House. During the midst of the election, Van Dyk announced his campaign suspension because he was expecting a child. Though Van Dyk appeared on the primary ballot, he endorsed McNally to replace him as the Democratic nominee for the 24th District. Subsequently, McNally was appointed by the Yellowstone County Democratic Central Committee as the

Montana Democratic Party Montana Democratic Party (MDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Montana and one of the two major political parties in the state. The party as of 2021 is chaired by Robyn Driscoll. The National Committeeman is Jorge ...

nominee for the Senate. Additionally, the committee appointed Katharin Kelker to replace McNally for the House. Both won their races, and McNally was reelected in 2018.

Personal life

McNally is married to Monte Smith, a

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

. The couple resides in Billings.

References

External links

Montana State Government profile
1955 births Living people Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts Worcester State University alumni Indiana University alumni University of Chicago alumni Sinte Gleska University faculty Montana State University Billings faculty Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators Women state legislators in Montana 21st-century American women politicians {{Montana-politician-stub