Alum Marie Hamer McNary is a busy lady, juggling family and career with a smile.
Then: In the summer of 2003, Marie Hamer left her home state for the first time to take an internship at CBLPI in the Washington DC area. The life of the rising University of Northern Iowa senior would be set on a new course by her experience and the people she met.
Marie spent the summer doing what most CBLPI interns do. She worked on the many summer events that CBLPI hosts in the DC area. She met many conservative leaders, and she formally introduced conservative women speakers at a national leadership seminar carried live by CSPAN television (noted by family and friends back home). She gave her own speech as a presenter at a mentoring luncheon during a national summer conference for high school leaders.
Marie (r) as an intern
That summer’s experience left her wanting more, so following graduation a year later, Marie returned to the DC area to work full-time at CBLPI. It was during this time that she married Josh McNary, a conservative young man from Ohio whom she met at a YAF conference. The couple moved back to the Midwest in 2006.
Now: In the years since, McNary Marketing and Design – a marketing technology company – was founded and has flourished. Their family has grown to include three young sons: Noah (age 9) and Joel and Caleb (age 7). As a mom, there are few dull moments for Marie, who currently serves as Parent-Teacher League president at her sons’ school.
While continuing to work in the family business, Marie has also established a unique career niche as an Executive Virtual Assistant for mystery book authors. Her work in this field will bring her back to Washington DC for a mystery conference this spring.
Her return to DC won’t be all work, though. She and Josh are looking forward to getting together with old friends again.