Mary McNamara

Mary is an executive leader with a unique blend of graduate business admissions, investment portfolio management, marketing, and operations expertise.

As a first-generation student, Mary experienced the transformative power of higher education firsthand. Several years after earning her bachelor’s degree, she pursued an MBA that changed her trajectory, leading to roles as a marketing executive, managing director of an early-stage venture portfolio, and chief operating officer of an emerging digital health company.

Today, as Assistant Dean of Graduate Recruitment and Admissions, Mary leads a talented team that engages and enrolls aspiring, diverse talent across a portfolio of MBA, specialized MS, and graduate certificate programs. Concurrently, she serves as a managing director at Angel Healthcare Investors, and supports entrepreneurs through various roles in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Drawing from decades of experience across industries and functions and her doctorate in Organizational Leadership, where she researched mentoring entrepreneurs' well-being, Mary's passion lies in empowering the next generation of leaders and driving innovation in graduate management education. She actively engages in Northeastern's innovation network, serving as a Spark Fund advisor at the Center for Research Innovation and as a dedicated mentor and past co-chair in the McCarthy(s) Venture Mentoring Network.