Born and raised in Fargo, N.D., Mara completed her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at the University of Texas at Austin in 1997 and her doctorate in biochemistry at Duke University in 2002. She began her teaching career at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, VA in 2003. Mara and her husband, Trey, moved to Wildwood, MO in 2010, shortly after he separated from the U.S. Navy after over 13 years of service and multiple deployments overseas. They were drawn to the Rockwood School District by its excellent reputation for student achievement and success. After Kathleen and Will (twins) were born in 2011, the family participated in the Rockwood Parents as Teachers program, beginning their nearly 14-year journey with the District and Parkway-Rockwood Community Education programs. Kathleen and Will are currently 8th graders at Rockwood Valley Middle School.

Mara works at St. Charles Community College, where she has served as both full-time and adjunct faculty and as an academic administrator since 2010. She served as a volunteer for field trips and school events while her children attended Pond Elementary. Mara has served as a volunteer Catholic Youth Council (CYC) volleyball coach from 2019 to 2024 for St. Alban Roe, for Cub Scout Pack 456 from 2017 to 2022, and for the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri from 2019 to 2023. Mara has participated in the Greater Missouri Leadership Challenge (2018), was named Faculty Member of the Year by the St. Charles Community College Faculty Association (2017), and was recently inducted into the (Fargo) North High School Hall of Fame (2024). Due to the vacancy on the Rockwood School District Board of Education, Mara was appointed as a Director in June 2024.

Having been an educator for over 20 years, Mara is passionately committed to maintaining the high standards of student achievement and development, excellent quality instruction in the classroom, and outstanding resources for which the Rockwood School District is well known. She finds that her work experience helps inform her decision-making process as a director on the Board. She strives every day to put students first, to consider how policies and procedures can help and hinder their success, and to use data and validated information to determine next steps. She is committed to supporting, sustaining, and improving publicly funded education in our District so all students have the opportunity to achieve, and are able work towards their own definition of success. She wholeheartedly believes in the mission of the District and that we need to "do whatever it takes to ensure all students realize their potential."