ALBION RESEARCH ASSOCIATES - Key Persons
Dr. Mary Baskin-Waters is President of Albion Research Associates, an international grants writing firm that was established in 2002. She is a Certified Grants Reviewer and Consultant through the National Grant Reviewers Association.
Mary has had opportunities to become involved in grant writing at various stages of the process. She has conducted educational seminars on writing grants for the South Carolina Department of Education. She has traveled extensively in order to research grants and programs for under served populations in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Cuba. In South Carolina, Mary has provided grant writing assistance to various types of clients, including academic scholars, non-profit organizations, local schools and universities, after-school care providers, medical services for underprivileged people, and local minority outreach programs. Also, Mary has participated in grants administration for the South Carolina Governor's Office, South Carolina Department of Health and Environment, and the U.S. Department of Labor.
Currently, she teaches as an adjunct faculty member in both USC's Women's Studies and Master of Public Administration programs. She is the former Director of the South Carolina Governor's Commission on Women, and currently serves as its Commissioner. Mary is a 1991 Graduate of the South Carolina Executive Institute, sponsored by the South Carolina State Budget & Control Board, and she is a 2004 graduate of Leadership COlumbia, sponsored by the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
Mary devotes a large portion of her time to the Columbia community and has compiled an impressive record that is strong in service and outreach. She has served as a member of the National Advisory Committees for both the College of Social Work and the College of Liberal Arts at the University of South Carolina, and she has served as Chair of the Women's Studies Partnership Council. Currently, Mary's board memberships include the Columbia Parks and Recreation Foundation, Women in Philanthropy, the Rotary Club of Five Points, and the Free Medical Clinic, Inc. She is Co-President of the Historic Heathwood Neighborhood Association and Secretary of the Columbia Council of Neighborhoods. She is also a member of the Carolina Guardian Society and the World Affairs Council of Columbia. In 2003, Mary was honored as Outstanding Active Member of the Year by the Columbia World Affairs Council, and in 2002 was named its Outstanding Volunteer of the Year. Also, Mary was presented with the Alumni Service Award for USC's School of Liberal Arts in 2003. Recently, Mary has established and provided permanent support for scholarships in women's studies and social work at the University of South Carolina.
Mary earned her undergraduate degree in art studio for the University of South Carolina in 1985, her master's in art education from USC in 1987, and her Ph.D. in higher educational leadership and policies from the University of South Carolina in 2002. She also holds a graduate certificate in women's studies.
Aside from her grants writing activities and community affairs, Mary enjoys researching the lives of notable South Carolina women. She is currently compiling data for a book project based on three "barrier-breaking" women of South Carolina: Sarah Angelica Singleton Van Buren, native of lower Richland County, South Carolina and the first South Carolinian to become White House hostess in 1838, after marrying the son of widowed President Martin Van Buren; Frances Guignard Gibbes, the first South Carolina woman to attend regular classes at the University of South Carolina in 1895; and Mary Gordon Ellis, the first woman elected to the South Carolina Senate. in 1928.
In the summer of 2004, Mary shared her knowledge of grant writing and business management in Romania when she participated in a business ethics and human rights issues program for high school students in Cluj-Napoca, sponsored by USC's Moore School of Business. The students benefited from speaking English, expanding their knowledge of information technology, learning about business in a global and entrepreneurial context, and developing cultural and international understanding. In Spring 2005, Mary will host two Romanian colleagues during their visits to Columbia, South Carolina and its surrounding areas.