Mary is an experienced policy wonk and communications professional. When financial reform legislation started winding its way through Congress, Wall Street wizardry put too many of the policy debates out of reach of average Americans. Mary launched the "Real Economy" project to demystify complex issues and give average Americans a role in shaping the policy solutions being debated in Congress. She launched the BanksterUSA.org website where she gained a following for making complex banking issues simple and fun, and for poking fun at the big banks and government officials for their weak reform proposals and outrageous efforts to spin the financial crisis. She blogs for multiple sites including Campaign for America's Future, Huffington Post, and the Nation Magazine. Prior to joining CMD, Mary worked for ten years as senior analyst in Public Citizen's Global Trade Division publishing many studies on financial services, health care policy, toxics regulation, food safety and the environment. She worked in politics for many years, most recently as press secretary to U.S. Senator Russ Feingold. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband John Nichols and daughter Whitman.