Meet Mary Beth

Like most of us, the person I am today was shaped by my upbringing and experiences. My story begins like many others: My mom and dad met in the ’70s, fell in love and married. But unlike many others, my mom is white and my dad is black. Their strength and courage – during a time when society was far less accepting than it is today to be in a biracial marriage – and my own life experiences have made me a fiercely independent person with a strong moral compass and sense of justice. I’ve always felt I’ve had to do more and work harder because I’ve never squarely belonged in any one place; I’ve tried to use that feeling of being in the middle to my advantage in bringing people together. 

Born in Virginia Beach, my earliest childhood memories are from Puerto Rico where my dad, a Navy officer and pilot, was stationed in the 1980s. After several years, we returned to Virginia, where I attended high school in the shadow of our Nation’s Capital.  After high school, I attended The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, graduating with a double major in English and Literary & Cultural Studies. I met my future husband while we were both students. Together, we moved across the country to attend the University of Arizona for our graduate work (he for a Ph.D. in chemistry and me for law school). After law school I moved to Las Vegas, where I practiced law for the next several years. 

In 2008 we made the decision to move to Illinois.  New to the state, we explored places to live in the Chicago area and were instantly attracted to the northwest suburbs, which offered all the conveniences and opportunities of nearby Chicago, with family friendly neighborhoods and excellent parks and public schools.  Over the past thirteen years, we’ve made this community our home.  We bought our first house, started our family, sent our son and daughter to the local public schools, and became engaged in community organizations and activities.  

In 2019, I made the decision to run for the Arlington Heights Village Board because I wanted to be a voice for our residents and businesses, and to help make decisions for the betterment of Arlington Heights.  Since being elected, I’ve helped the Village develop an affordable housing ordinance, improve our diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, and helped our businesses navigate the pandemic through creative initiatives such as Arlington Alfresco. 

I have been fortunate to play many roles in my career: attorney, strategist, and consultant for companies both large and small. Being the child of small business owners, I have always felt most excited when I was working with small companies where the impact of my work can be felt most directly. The communities in the 54th district – Palatine, Arlington Heights, Prospect Heights, and others – offer the best of both worlds; a small town feeling in a larger community. Each one of us has a huge impact on the community around us.

I love being a part of the Northwest suburbs and I’ve been active in a lot of different ways – schools, businesses, nonprofits, and religious communities. These groups help me see our community through different lenses, and I welcome every opportunity to learn from all the diversity we have here. By getting to know our neighbors and the things they care about, we can work together to do the most good for the most people.  We’re seeing active change in our northwest suburban communities. All voices deserve to be heard and I’d like to represent them.

Every one of them.