Mary Archer, MSW

As Program Director, Mary oversees the programmatic and administrative operations of the GRI, as well as opportunities for collaboration and expansion. Mary received her Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania where she completed her field placement as a GRI student caseworker. Mary previously worked as a social worker at the Defender Association of Philadelphia, where she provided support to clients with ongoing criminal court matters, conducted extensive social history investigation, and produced mitigation reports as part of the legal team. Prior to her time at SP2, Mary graduated with her Bachelor in Social Work from Temple University and completed Teach for America in Hawaii where she taught middle school English Language Arts.

Outside of her professional work, Mary is a lead organizer for the Digital Defense Project, a newly developed grassroots filmmaking collective that boosts the voices of people impacted by the legal system. She is on the board of Central Division Victims Services where she hopes to explore opportunities for community-centered, collaborative solutions to support healing within Philadelphia. Mary has also pursued additional training in grant writing, advocacy filmmaking, and the participatory defense organizing model.