Mary S. Graham is an American academic administrator who has served as the president of

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC) is a Public college, public community college with its main campus in Perkinston, Mississippi. It was founded as Harrison County Agricultural High School in 1912. MGCCC has three campuses and sev ...

(MGCCC) since 2011. She is a former chair of the

American Association of Community Colleges The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education building in Washington, D.C., is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely wit ...

and has served as a member of the

Mississippi Power Mississippi Power, preciously known as Mississippi Power Company (MPC), is an electric utility company. Its headquarters are in Gulfport, Mississippi, and it is a subsidiary of Atlanta-based, Southern Company. Mississippi Power has more than 1,0 ...

board of directors since 2020.

Early life and education

Graham was born in

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It lies on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast in southern Mississippi, bordering the city of Gulfport, Mississippi, Gulfport to its west. The adjacent cities ar ...

, and grew up in Perkinston. She was the youngest of eight children in her family. She attended

(MGCCC), where she earned an associate degree. She later pursued her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees at the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bac ...

, completing a Ph.D. in

higher education Tertiary education (higher education, or post-secondary education) is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank defines tertiary education as including universities, colleges, and vocational schools ...

administration.

Career

Graham began her professional career in 1987 at the Jackson County campus of MGCCC, holding administrative roles, including Director of Admissions/Registrar and Director of Institutional Relations. She later became Vice President of the Community Campus and served as Vice President of the Perkinston Campus for 13 years. In 2011, Graham was appointed as the 12th president of MGCCC by its

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

, succeeding Willis H. Lott. As president, she oversaw the expansion of the college, including the development of new campuses and programs. Her leadership included a focus on

workforce development Workforce development, an American approach to economic development, attempts to enhance a region's economic stability and prosperity by focusing on people rather than businesses. It essentially develops a human-resources strategy. Work-force dev ...

, fundraising, and providing scholarship opportunities. In September 2011, she was recognized at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

as a Champion of Change. During her presidency, MGCCC was recognized among the top ten percent of

community colleges in the United States In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year Public university, public institutions of tertiary education. Community colleges offer undergraduate education in the form of an associate degree. In addition, community colleges als ...

by the

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C., but also has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, its original home. Its stated miss ...

. She also served as chair of the

, a role representing over 1,200 institutions nationwide. Additionally, she held leadership positions in state and national organizations, including the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges and other boards such as the Gulf Coast Business Council and the National Diabetes and Obesity Research Institute. In November 2020, Graham joined the

board of directors.

Personal life

Mary Graham is married to Wayne Graham, and the couple has three children. Graham is actively involved in community organizations, including church youth programs and

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

, where she has supported initiatives such as scholarships and mission trips.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Mary S Living people Date of birth missing (living people) People from Biloxi, Mississippi People from Stone County, Mississippi 21st-century American women academics Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Women heads of universities and colleges American women academic administrators Academics from Mississippi Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College alumni University of Southern Mississippi alumni