A licensed attorney, Mary Frances practiced civil and criminal law in both New York and California, specializing in immigration law.  Prior to joining the staff at the Iacocca Institute, she most recently worked in hospital administration for a major oil company in the Middle East, where she designed and implemented a system-wide Self-Assessment Program.

Mary Frances also brings with her to the Global Village over twenty-five years teaching experience.  She has conducted seminars and workshops in English as A Second Language (ESL), Citizenship Preparation, Legal Counseling Techniques, Occupational Spanish, Public Speaking, Assertiveness Training , Effective Listening , Conflict Management and Negotiating Skills throughout the United States and internationally.  Her extensive travels have afforded her many culturally-diverse experiences.

Mary Frances graduated summa cum laude from Loyola College in Baltimore Maryland in 1973 with a Bachelors in Modern Languages.  After a year with the VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) program in El Paso, Texas, Mary Frances began her legal training at St. John’s University School of Law in New York, earning her Juris Doctor degree in 1977. 

After graduation she supervised four satellite immigration assistance offices for the Brooklyn Diocese Catholic Migration Office for a year before marrying and moving to California.  In California, Mary Frances was a general partner in a Santa Monica law firm, handling both civil and criminal litigation.  She also served as the Supervising Attorney of the Immigration Legal Assistance Project of the Los Angeles Bar Association, before moving to Saudi Arabia in 1980.