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

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, who served as a Democratic member of the

Montana Senate The Montana State Senate is the upper house of the Montana Legislature, the state legislative branch of the U.S. state of Montana. The body is composed of 50 senators elected for four years. Half of the Senate is up for election every two years. ...

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 In the event that the parti ...

Early life and education

McNally received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in Urban Studies from

Worcester State College Worcester State University (WSU) is a public university in Worcester, Massachusetts. The fourth largest of the Commonwealth’s nine Universities, WSU enrolls over 4800 undergraduates and nearly 900 graduate students in more than 80 undergradu ...

in 1978, and then went on to

Indiana University School of Business The Kelley School of Business (KSB) is an undergraduate and graduate business school for Indiana University Bloomington and Indiana University Indianapolis. As of 2022, approximately 13,538 full-time undergraduate and graduate students are enr ...

to complete a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

in 1980. She returned to school to the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where she completed a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

Economic Geography Economic geography is the subfield of human geography that studies economic activity and factors affecting it. It can also be considered a subfield or method in economics. Economic geography takes a variety of approaches to many different topi ...

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, United States. It is the state's third largest university. Its campus is located on 110 acres in downtown Billings. Formerly Eastern Montana Normal ...

Billings Billings is the most populous 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 Billin ...

. 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 in

Mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

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

tribal colleges and universities Tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) are a Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, category of higher education, Minority Serving Institution, minority-serving institutions in the United States defined in the Higher Educati ...

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 Kendall J. Van Dyk (born March 21, 1980) is a Democratic Party member of the Montana Senate, representing District 25 in north-central Billings, Montana since 2011. Personal life and education Van Dyk earned a B.A. in political science from Mon ...

, 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 2024 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.(archived version)
/ref> The couple reside in Billings.

References

External links

Montana State Government profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNally, Mary 1955 births Living people 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Montana Legislature Politicians from Springfield, Massachusetts Worcester State University alumni Kelley School of Business alumni University of Chicago alumni Sinte Gleska University faculty Montana State University Billings faculty Democratic Party members of the Montana House of Representatives Women state legislators in Montana