Mary is an Associate Professor at the School of Management and Marketing, University of Waikato. Her research focuses on stakeholder participation in organisations and the changing nature of organisational membership, with most of her research concentrating on elders (people over 65yrs). Her PhD looked at communication issues associated with retirement village organisations and retirement village residents. Currently, she is exploring digital communication and online citizenship in relation to intergenerational communication. Her research interests led her to work with the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust (RKCT) in 2009, and to become a long-term supporter of the Trust. In 2011 and 2015, she collaborated on a presentation for Kingitanga Day at Waikato University. In 2014, Mary was part of the Trust’s advisory group to develop a suicide prevention strategy for Kaumātua. Since 2012, her key support role has involved organizing a volunteer student communications team for the Kaumātua Olympics. This event has over 300 competitors and 80 volunteers.