MEET MARY GEREN
(SHE/HER)
Mama. Advocate. Good Trouble-Maker. Passionate.
Mary Geren lives in Anderson County with her daughter, Madilyn, and their dog, Emmy, and is the owner of Mary Geren for Progress, LLC. Ever the underdog, Mary was the runt of the litter in a blended family of seven. She was born in Northeast Georgia and was scrappy and feisty from the beginning. In her first two years of life, she was irrevocably separated from her biological mother and paternal grandmother; her family home burned to the ground, and she fought for her life after contracting pneumonia.
Things didn’t get much easier for Mary or her family; after a series of health crises, her dad still managed to work long hours in a rock quarry but struggled to make ends meet. Mary and her family often relied on government assistance despite how hard her father worked.
Mary quickly realized a college education would be her only ticket out of poverty. She graduated high school, the only one in her family to do so, and earned college scholarships. In 2002, her dream became a reality when she graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University. Mary also earned her Master’s in English from Clemson and taught English there for six years, followed by nine years at Tri-County Technical College.
What had once been a hobby became Mary’s passion and career. After a decade of volunteering with the local and state Democratic parties, volunteering for countless candidates, advising the College Democrats, and becoming a DNC delegate, Mary first ran for political office in 2016. Then SCDP Chairman Jaime Harrison encouraged her to run against a popular incumbent in a ruby red house district. Although she did not win, Mary mobilized volunteers, donors, and supporters, which was the catalyst for her historic 2018 congressional bid.
After boldly representing the Democratic Party in perhaps the state's most conservative district, Mary served as Regional Organizing Director for Senator Cory Booker’s presidential campaign and later as a political coordinator for Jaime Harrison’s Senate bid.
Mary has served in the following Democratic Party leadership roles: ACDP Executive Director, Executive Committee Member, and 2nd Vice Chair, Vice President of the Anderson County Democratic Women’s Council, Regional Democrats CARE Director, Precinct Executive Committee Member and President, and Anderson County Volunteer Coordinator for Hillary Clinton
As Executive Director, Mary oversaw the revitalization and rebuilding of ACDP and its infrastructure. As a result, the small county party has experienced record growth in diverse leadership, membership, fundraising, candidate recruitment, and community engagement.
Mary has been a fighter her entire life and is passionate about serving others. As the 1st Vice Chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, she will continue to fight on behalf of ALL South Carolina Democrats. Mary’s talent, hard work, intelligence, loyalty, and tenacity will prove instrumental in moving our state party forward together.