Board Member

Mary Johnson is the founder and CEO of Brave New Word, a content marketing consultancy based in Charlotte. Mary was first introduced to Adoption Support Alliance through a close friend who served on the board of the organization. In the years since, Mary has had the opportunity to provide a variety of marketing consulting services to ASA, gaining a deeper understanding of the mission, the work and the inspiring ASA community. She is now thrilled to continue her involvement with the organization through board service.

The work ASA does is of particular interest as Mary embarks on a major career transition: She will soon complete her master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling at Wake Forest University. Her goal upon graduation is to work with children and adolescents, and in 2024, she began a yearlong internship at Levine Children’s Hospital, working alongside other mental health professionals in the pediatric psychology department.

Prior to launching her marketing business, Mary spent 12 years in journalism, working for publications across the country, including The Economist and American City Business Journals, where she was the founding editor of a national news website for women in business. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. She is married with two children, Max (11) and Olivia (6) and one high-maintenance rescue dog.