Mara has been the Director of Strategic Marketing and Philanthropy for the Masonic Care Community in Utica, NY for the past five years. In this position, Mara has led both individual and institutional fundraising including major gifts, grant funding, planned gifts, and capital campaign donations. She has also been responsible for organizational marketing, advertising, events, and communications.

Before joining the Masonic Care Community, Mara was the Vice-President of Mission Advancement for the YMCA of Central New York where she oversaw and led fundraising, marketing, and communications across the association for six Y branches for over six years. Prior to the Y, Mara was the Senior Director of Development for ProLiteracy Worldwide for over 15 years.

Mara has her BA in Business Administration, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive, a member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals, and a previous member of the North American YMCA Development Organization. She served on the executive committee of the board of the Brady Faith Center, a poverty-relief organization in Syracuse and her additional fundraising trainings include the Indiana University School of Philanthropy’s Developing Major Gifts Training Program, the Grantsmanship Training Program for Grant writing, NAYDO Annual Development Conferences and Trainings, and numerous Association for Fundraising Professionals trainings.