Mary Blackford, resident of Washington, DC, began her business studies as a student at the Business & Finance Academy at HD Woodson Senior High. During her time at the Academy she studied entrepreneurship and started her first business. Upon graduation Mary attended Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. During her collegiate experience she studied business management and entrepreneurship, and taught entrepreneurship courses in high schools in Ghana and South Africa.
Mary graduated from Babson College with a BS in Business Management, and began her career in the socially responsible finance industry as an Analyst at Calvert Foundation; an impact investing organization committed to utilizing fixed income products to create social and economic progress by investing in mediums that include micro-lending, small business development, agriculture, women-led businesses, and environmental innovations. In 2013, Mary became one of the founding chapter leaders of the DC Chapter of Women Investing for a Sustainable Economy (WISE), a women-led professional group committed to providing educational and professional resources to women professionals working within the socially responsible investing industry in Washington, DC. In the summer of 2017 she launched her most recent venture Market 7. Market 7 has worked with 60 black-owned businesses in the Washington, DC area to create a community market that includes fresh food, lifestyle products, and home items in Ward 7.
Mary Blackford recently won the Essence x PineSol $150,000 grant and launched 4 black owned brands in Whole Foods Mid Atlantic Region.
