Spotlight on UMB Foundation Board Trustee Mary Caskey Gregory

Mary Caskey Gregory, MEconSc, is a principal with Brown Advisory in Baltimore, where she leads the institutional relationship management team and has expertise in sustainable investing. She focuses on the firm’s proprietary investment strategies and works closely with institutional clients. She has been with Brown Advisory since 2010 and was previously with T. Rowe Price. She received a BA degree in French from Duke University and a master’s in economic science from University College Dublin. Gregory has served on the University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation, Inc. Board of Trustees since 2015.

SPOTLIGHT: Can you tell us about your experiences as a woman in business? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

MARY CASKEY GREGORY: When I started in financial services in the 1990s, women were frequently hired for support and service roles, and it was uncommon to see women in leadership or senior, external-facing roles. Growing professionally in that era, my biggest challenge was matching my hopes and expectations with the reality of opportunities. I also had the challenge of taking six years off the career track to focus on my children, so I had to restart. I’ve benefited from the many great women role models who helped me envision a path to advancement at different stages. Some of these role models sit on the UMBF board with me!

What is your vision for the future of business in Baltimore? Do you have any hopes or dreams of how the city will grow and change?

Baltimore is my hometown, and I love the city and the state. My vision is for the people of Baltimore to be proud of their city and able to find opportunity to grow, learn, build, and invest right here, in this great city. Education, health, safety, and strong community are the foundations people require, and these create a good environment for business.

How do we build a future of sustainability practices embedded in business practices?

We have to ask the questions we haven’t traditionally asked in business: In everything we do, whether it is lowering costs by using less energy, water, material, or reducing waste, we have to ask: Is this practice sustainable? The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are a very useful framework calling for worldwide action among governments, business, and civil society to end poverty and create a life of dignity and opportunity for all, within the boundaries of the planet. The U.N. Global Compact provides a guide for businesses to develop their own path to sustainability.

How did you first get involved with UMB?

An old friend with whom I worked with on a Duke alumni board recommended me for the UMBF board. Once I spoke with Jay Perman [former UMB president and now University System of Maryland chancellor], I was immediately drawn in by his vision for UMB and wanted to be a part of UMB’s growth and impact through the foundation. 

Which causes at UMB do you feel have a special impact?

UMB is a great university, but the cause that to me is most special and impactful is the Community Engagement Center [CEC]. I feel that the CEC represents the best of what UMB can be: bringing UMB’s energy and expertise to the world in a direct and local fashion, while providing UMB students and faculty the opportunity to learn things they won’t learn in the classroom.

Do you have any advice for UMB students as they enter the workforce?

Done is better than perfect. Don’t put limits on yourself.

Why do you give to UMB?

I give because I know that UMB will make good use of my hard-earned dollars advancing a mission I believe in wholeheartedly: To improve the human condition and serve the public good of Maryland and society at-large through education, research, clinical care, and service.