Mary Finley: A UNT community friend and ally

People know what kind of mood Mary Finley is in by looking at her earrings. Most days Finley wears mismatched earrings that reflect her happy mood.

"There are rules about earrings," Finley says. "I will wear them together once if they're new or expensive, or if I'm in a less-than-wonderful mood."

Finley's office in the University Union — where she has worked for 16 years, first as Art Center manager (now Design Works), then as Union marketing coordinator — is filled with stress balls, puzzles, a pair of tiaras and a 3-foot red dragon that hangs from the ceiling. A sign on her desk in front of a small mound of papers says, "A cluttered desk is a sign of genius." Her office walls are a collage of framed art collections.

"I surround myself with a lot of toys and people who know more than I do," Finley says. "If we need to do something and I don't have all the answers, then I go find somebody who does or I research it."

Finley is responsible for all marketing, advertising and public relations for the Union. Staff and student employees of Design Works, the Union Gallery and the Aerie yearbook all report to Finley. She also designs and maintains the Union web site and serves on numerous university committees. Currently, she is a representative on the Staff Council and the Commission on the Status of Women and serves on the Traditions Committee. She says she is most proud of being co-founder of UNT's Ally program, so named because participants serve as resources and active listeners to people who may need to talk about their feelings or who need information on programs and services, like the Gay and Lesbian Association of Denton (GLAD).

This spring marks the third anniversary of the program, which provides a welcoming environment for everyone, including those whom society may discriminate against because of sexual orientation.

"We have trained almost 200 allies," Finley says. "With each new ally, we change the campus culture one person at a time. We'd like to put ourselves out of business by putting an ally sticker or certificate on every door of campus."

Finley enjoys staying busy and active with the campus.

"There is no typical day for me," she says. "The fact that it's never the same from day to day is what I like. I wouldn't do this job as long as I've done it if it were."

Before joining the Union staff, Finley was in the childcare business. After 14 years in that field and the birth of her own child, she decided she needed a change.

"I have a degree in art education," she says. "I have never used it to teach art. I saw an ad in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that said UNT wanted someone with an art and business background to run the Art Center at the Union."

After work, Finley goes home to 40 acres on a dirt road in Krum, where she visits with her 12-year-old pet burro, Magenta.

"She's pink, and her nickname is Maggie," Finley says. "Donkeys live a long time. That donkey's going to probably outlive me."

Finley is an avid traveler and reader and has visited Portugal, Spain, the British Isles, France, Switzerland and Italy.

"I'm always looking for an adventure," she says. "Fix a picnic basket and go down a road you don't know. All you have to have is a willing spirit."

BY MICHELLE GARCIA paiswri1@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue:

• Hurley announces he will step down at fiscal year's end
• Search process for new UNT System chancellor is under way
• Campaign North Texas tops 75 percent
• UNT enrollment up 7.2 percent for spring
• Club at Gateway Center opens for spring
• UNT professor says Sept. 11 exposed vulnerability of cities as commercial centers
• UNT's Black History Month celebration under way
• UNT program participates in TRIO Day observance
• Two TAMS students named semifinalists in national Intel contest

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