Mary Ellen Burd

Mary Ellen directs all aspects of the Penn Libraries’ communications and public relations efforts, maximizing visibility of services, resources, collections, and expertise in support of the Libraries’ strategic vision and programmatic priorities. 

Before she joined the Penn Libraries’ staff, Mary Ellen was director of communications for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, an independent partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Previously she directed communications for the Science History Institute, which preserves and interprets the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences through an archive and research library, a center for research, and an acclaimed museum. Mary Ellen began her career in book publishing, with editorial roles at Henry Holt and Columbia University Press.

Mary Ellen has a master’s degree in English and American literature from Brandeis University and a bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College, where she majored in English and American literature and religion studies.