You may know our VP of Public Relations Mary Little for her tenacity, can-do attitude and longtime expertise for landing the right media coverage at the right time, but she’s much more than a PR whiz.
She’s a Canadian at heart, a rockstar mom of two (one human; one dog), a magnet drawn to eclectic jobs, and self-admittedly an overachiever whom you should never trust with a map.
Here are five things you didn’t know about Mary — after all, there’s just something about her.
A Canadian, No?
Mary hails from Toronto, but she ditched the “eh” and “sorry” for the “huh” and “my bad” when she received her U.S. Citizenship in 2017. She spent more than 12 years learning French there and can hold a decent conversation, especially on pressing topics like red apples and yellow notebooks.
Although she’s proud to call our Northern Neighbor home, Mary dreads visiting in the wintertime. She prefers Arizona, mostly because you don’t have to shovel sunshine and you can get oot n’ aboot nearly any time of year.
Mom Above All
Mary is proud to parent a sassy, redheaded 9-year-old daughter who is a stronger, brasher and more determined version of herself — although, she frequently needs to be reminded to use her powers of charm and wit for good. When not at school or work, the two can be found playing Barbies or board games or giving each other makeovers.
Also a dedicated dog mom specializing in corgi care, love and maintenance, Mary’s first fur-son Scooter was followed by another fur-daughter named Taxi. After they both passed, she realized she needed some corgi glitter (A.K.A. fur tumbleweeds) in her life again, and Ozzy Pawsborne, Prince of Barkness joined the family.
One Nerdy Overachiever
Why have one degree when you can complete two at the same time? Mary has a degree in Sociology from York University and another in Corporate Communications from Centennial College, which required her to juggle up to 10 courses every semester.
This also meant constant coordination between the two schools to keep her schedule and commute time on track, in addition to meeting all the deadlines. Complexities be darned, she earned both degrees in four years and still heavily relies on the same sociology and comm know-how in her PR career today.
Eclectic Jobs? Sign Her Up
A check-your-title-at-the-door, roll-up-your-sleeves kind of girl, no role is beneath Mary — and she has a lengthy track record of unconventional jobs to prove it.
She’s lugged boxes of citrus into convention centers. She’s stayed up until 1:30 a.m. strategizing with clients. She’s successfully supervised dozens of doctors attending a CME conference in Bermuda without anyone disappearing into the Triangle.
At her first job with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Mary even dressed up as their mascot, See-More the Seeing Eye Bee.
To cap off her crazy career experiences, Mary was a driver examiner at the MVD during her summers off in college, which explains her no-fear approach on the road. Any stories or question regarding this role, however, will require a happy hour.
Zero Sense of Direction
Mary says she could get lost inside a paper bag and heavily relies on her GPS for, well, everything. After living in her neighborhood for more than a decade, she still only knows two routes in and out.
The good news is, we didn’t hire Mary because she’s good at directions — in fact, this PR veteran prefers to use her navigations skills elsewhere, helping clients route the quickest path to growth and success.
