Mary Colette Brown came to California from Michigan in 1980 to pursue her career in Speech Pathology. She worked with schools, hospitals, and in private practice until happily finding a home with the Santa Barbara County Education Office in 1988, from which she has recently retired. She is married to husband John Riparetti and they have two children: Marguerite, an assistant professor of gerontology at the University of Minnesota, and Thomas, a San Marcos High School physics teacher. She most enjoys spending time with grandson, Clark. Mary has served on the boards of Santa Barbara Middle School, the LAM Foundation, and Las Aletas, a division of the Assistance League. She joined the Women’s Fund of Santa Barbara in 2018 and is co-captain of the group, GET FOCUSED. She also serves on the Membership Committee and works with the Major Events Committee to develop Grants in Action programs.