Mary M. Shell is a Grants Management Specialist with the National Park Service’s State, Tribal, Local, Plans and Grants Division and is the program lead for African American Civil Rights history grant program. Mary served as Preservation Planner and Certified Local Government Coordinator at the Alabama State Historic Preservation Office for 30 years and helped communities identify and protect their historic properties. After retiring from the state in 2019, she served three years as the Executive Director of the nonprofit, Alabama Communities of Excellence, working with a network of partners to provide community development resources to participating towns. She received her B.A. in history and certificate in Community Planning from Auburn University and attended the master’s program in historic preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.