Mary is President/CEO of Strategic Partnerships, Inc. (SPI). Mary is also co-founder of the Gemini Global Group (G3), a firm that works with national and international clients on business development, P3s, and other types of government objectives.
A recognized expert regarding P3s, Mary is the author of Collaboration Nation – How Public-Private Ventures Are Revolutionizing the Business of Government and Inside the Infrastructure Revolution – A Roadmap for Rebuilding America. Her first book, Collaboration Nation, explores the growing trend of P3s and describes a number of best practices for successful projects, as well as the importance for both parties to respect the cultural differences of the other. While her newest work asks readers to look carefully at the cost of continuing to neglect public assets like roads, bridges, water resources, airports, electric grids, healthcare and educational facilities and points to their critical role in maintaining America’s global leadership position.
Mary writes for many publications and blogs weekly. Her articles have been published by media outlets including Forbes, CNBC.com, CEO-Read, Change This, The Hill, Water on Line, World Highways, Bloomberg Government, Airport World, Politico, Smart & Resilient Cities, Infrastructure USA, Water Online, Construction USA, Renewable Energy World, Construction Today, P3 Bulletin, P3 World, ICMA, American Infrastructure, Born To Invest, Onvia and many others. She is a regular contributor to business journals and SPI publishes two newsletters each week that carry her columns. She is active on the professional speaking circuit and is a keynote speaker at both business conferences and government executive’s conferences.
Mary has an extensive business background in both the public and private sectors. Before entering government, Mary was the President and General Manager of two media firms. In government, she served as the Commissioner representing Business at the Texas Employment Commission. In that position, she was a high-profile, proactive business advocate who founded The Texas Business Council. Then, Commissioner Nabers moved to the Texas Railroad Commission, the state’s regulatory agency for the oil and gas industry, which at the time regulated approximately $65 billion of the state’s economy annually. She was active on both the state and federal levels and represented Texas on numerous national boards.
Mary holds a BS degree from Howard Payne University and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. She also holds an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree and was named a Distinguished Alumnae of Howard Payne University.
Delegate, Emerging Leaders World Conference · Spirit of Texas Award · Leadership America · Leadership Texas · World Congress on Information Technology · Named to Profiles in Power · Mentor, University of Texas’ Forty Acres Scholars · Partner & Mentor, Capital Factory
President, Headliners Club · Board of St David’s Healthcare Foundation · University of Texas groups – UT Exes Council; the Chancellor’s Executive Committee; the President’s Advisory Council · National Council for Public-Private Partnerships · National Petroleum Council · Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission · Long Center for the Performing Arts · Advisory Board, San Antonio Spurs · Chair, Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce ∙ Board of Directors – Texas Association of Business · Girl Scouts Advisory Board
April has been a big month for airport infrastructure funding. Two separate announcements of new funding awards were made. The first announcement, on April 5, was for $148 million. On April 25, the second announcement allocated another $76 million to support airport projects. In April alone, $224 million was made available for initiatives to construct […]
A notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) is an announcement that allows eligible entities to know when there is an opening to submit funding applications. A NOFO not only announces the availability but also provides timelines and guidance for making funding requests. Federal programs are often designed to pass funds through state-level agencies, but not always. […]
Economic development initiatives have always focused on boosting local economies, but now they are commonly designed to deliver revenue to budget-restrained cities and counties. Attracting tourists and visitors is still a key focus of economic development efforts, but doing that in ways that impact a city’s revenue is becoming the norm. Before the pandemic, tourism […]
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