Mary Nelson

Assistant Director, Practice

Mary Nelson is the Assistant Director of Practice at the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). In her current position, Nelson supports APHSA’s members and stakeholders in driving economic mobility in the communities they serve. Nelson also spent two years as the staff liaison to the National Association of State TANF Administrators (NASTA) within APHSA before transitioning to her current role.

Before joining APHSA, Nelson was a program manager with CASA for Children of DC, operating programs for youth dually involved in child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Nelson has experience in local, state, and federal legislative analysis as well as policy and legal research. Nelson earned an LLM in international business and economics law from Georgetown University, a JD from Gonzaga University, and a BA from Whitworth University.