Through her work on the front lines, she is reshaping what it means to truly see, serve, and stand alongside those most often overlooked.
A Calling, Rooted in Compassion
Mary’s work is deeply personal.
Long before she stepped into her role at Clínica Romero, she understood what it meant for people to step in during life’s hardest moments. When her father passed, it was the community around her—teachers, neighbors, church members who helped carry her family through.
She remembers the small things most. Meals, Rides. Quiet acts of care that made sure she and her siblings were okay. “I think of them as hand holders,” she says. “People who step in when you need it most. Those moments stay with you.” They did. And they shaped how she leads today.
Pushing Through Barriers
Today, Mary leads Clínica Romero’s Homeless Services Program which includes the Street Medicine Services, bringing care directly to individuals who are often left out of traditional systems. Her work is wherever patients are—on sidewalks, in encampments, in places where access to care is often limited or nonexistent. “I’m really passionate about our patients,” she says. “Making sure they receive the care they deserve.”
“I see myself as a contributor to overall change,” she says. “Change takes many people—and I’m one piece of the puzzle.”
Mary holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from USC and has spent the past five years working with individuals experiencing homelessness. Before joining Clínica Romero, she worked with the City of Los Angeles, Bridge to Home shelter, and North Valley Caring Services—experiences that deepened her understanding of the systems people navigate every day.
“Poverty and homelessness don’t discriminate,” she says. Her commitment to this work is also personal. In just two years at Clínica Romero, she has been part of the growth of the street medicine team from two members to six—expanding the clinic’s reach and strengthening how services are delivered in the community. It also means leading a program that now plays a critical role in how Clínica Romero reaches some of its most vulnerable patients.
You Can’t Run on Empty
Mary shares about her work, “It can be heavy,” she says. Supporting individuals experiencing homelessness means carrying stories, witnessing hardship, and navigating systems that don’t always work in people’s favor.
That’s why she emphasizes the importance of having support, both professionally and personally. “I feel fortunate to have a strong village,” she says. She also creates structure in her own life, starting her days early and making space to reset when she can. “You have to take care of yourself too,” she says. “We can’t do this work if we’re running on empty.”
The Moments that Stay
For Mary, one of those moments was the loss of a patient she had grown close to—a burn survivor whose journey deeply impacted her and her team.
“I remember getting the call from his family,” she says. “It was devastating.” What mattered most in that moment wasn’t having the right words. It was being present. “I told my team…feel it,” she says. “That’s what keeps us connected to the work. If we ever become numb, then we’ve lost the point.”
That kind of leadership isn’t taught, it’s carried.
The Way She Leads
Mary leads with what she describes as a radical sense of empathy. Not sympathy. Not distance. But respect. “The people we serve are often not acknowledged,” she says. “They’re not always treated with dignity.”
Her approach is to meet people where they are, without assumption, without judgment, and without taking away their voice. “Compassion and respect go hand in hand,” she says. “You can’t separate them.”
Today, Mary oversees one of Clínica Romero’s fastest-growing programs, managing a multidisciplinary team that delivers care directly into the community. The work is complex, often unpredictable, and requires constant coordination and trust across her team.
But what stands out most isn’t just what she manages, it’s how she carries it. There is a calm in her presence. A steadiness. Even in the weight of the work, she leads with so much kindness and a quiet strength that brings people in, not pushes them away. Her team feels it. Her clients feel it. And in spaces that can often feel chaotic or overlooked.
Leading with Love
When asked what she hopes to leave behind, her answer is simple. “To lead with love.” Even when it’s difficult. Even when it’s not returned.
It’s a way of moving through the work, and through people that doesn’t shift based on circumstances. “Showing up with compassion anyway,” she says.
She also speaks about something many women are still learning to navigate: taking up space. “Sometimes we’re taught to be smaller, quieter,” she says. “But right now, we need to be loud. We need to stand up for our communities—even if our voice is shaking.” For her, that looks like trusting your voice before you feel ready.
Asking questions. Learning from others. Stepping forward anyway. “Don’t be afraid.”
If she had to describe herself in one word, she pauses for a moment. Then she answers: Passionate. Not the kind that calls attention to itself, but the kind you recognize in how someone leads, in how they carry the weight of the work, and in how they remain steady through it. For Mary, serving this community as a woman at Clínica Romero is not about recognition. It’s about presence.
About standing firm in moments that require both strength and care – and choosing, every day, not to step back from either.
