A message from Alberto Mora, ABA Associate Executive Director, Global Programs and Director, Rule of Law Initiative
It is with mixed regret, respect, appreciation, and admiration that I announce that our esteemed colleague, Mary Greer, departed ABA ROLI in June of this year. Mary’s departure will cap one of the most storied careers in ROLI’s 31-year history. An expert in criminal law and procedure, Mary joined ABA-CEELI in March 1998 when she served as Criminal Justice Liaison in Bosnia-Herzegovina, an assignment that involved the design and implementation of criminal justice reforms in the wake of the Yugoslav Wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia. After two years of service as Liaison to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (when she was affiliated with the Coalition for International Justice), Mary rejoined ABA-CEELI in 2002 as Director of its Criminal Law Reform Program, which entailed the implementation of programs in 11 countries and the management of a 45-person staff. In 2006, she became ROLI’s Senior Criminal Law Advisor.
This brief summary of Mary’s ROLI more-than-20-year career only hints at the depth of her accomplishments and contributions to human dignity, human rights, and the rule of law. In the course of her career and the hundreds of programs, training sessions, conferences, and other interventions that she led or participated in, Mary has helped strengthen the rule of law in dozens of countries, helped educate or train thousands of legal professionals, and has directly or indirectly helped improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Along the way she has established a network of friends, colleagues, and admirers at home and abroad whose lives have been enriched by her wisdom, example, and friendship.
When I first joined ROLI in the summer of 2018, Mary was one of the first ROLI associates I met. As I was being led to my office, my route passed by Mary’s office, a mass of flamboyant pink two doors from my own. Arrested by the novelty, I found the cornucopia of flamingos inside and outside her office both startling and wonderful – startling because it was so unexpected and unusual and wonderful for its color and joyfulness. As I was absorbing the splendor, Mary came out to introduce herself and her pets, her hand outstretched and a big smile on her face. “Welcome to ROLI,” she said, “let me know how I can help.”
Mary’s love affair with flamingos is deep, but what may seem a frivolity to some also reflects a serious purpose. By bringing her flamingos to the office she was purposefully injecting our workplace – which can be much too bland, serious, and corporate – with color, warmth, and playfulness. She was signaling that beauty, personality, idiosyncrasy, diversity, and fun have a necessary role to play in ROLI, too. (And they do, of course, as we now all understand as Mary has taught us.) Mary and her flamingos helped break down institutional and personal barriers, encouraged the creation of friendships, waged war against stuffiness, reminded us of the joys of the natural world, and subversively urged us not to take ourselves too seriously.
Above all, Mary has been dedicated to helping others. Much as she helped me become a better ROLI Director, she helped countless others. On any issue, at any time, anywhere around the world, Mary has always been willing to lend a hand, never mind the inconvenience to her or the additional workload. This selflessness, along with the multiple lessons her flamingos conveyed, are personal character traits that have imbued ROLI’s spirit, to the degree that it can honestly be said that Mary has left an indelible imprint in ROLI’s own character and culture. And all of this has been to the good. The entirety of the ABA’s Center for Global Programs thanks Mary for her many services to the rule of law, for her many contributions to ROLI, and for her powerful example and leadership.
It is with mixed regret, respect, appreciation, and admiration that I announce that our esteemed colleague, Mary Greer, departed ABA ROLI in June of this year. Mary’s departure will cap one of the most storied careers in ROLI’s 31-year history. An expert in criminal law and procedure, Mary joined ABA-CEELI in March 1998 when she served as Criminal Justice Liaison in Bosnia-Herzegovina, an assignment that involved the design and implementation of criminal justice reforms in the wake of the Yugoslav Wars following the breakup of Yugoslavia. After two years of service as Liaison to the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (when she was affiliated with the Coalition for International Justice), Mary rejoined ABA-CEELI in 2002 as Director of its Criminal Law Reform Program, which entailed the implementation of programs in 11 countries and the management of a 45-person staff. In 2006, she became ROLI’s Senior Criminal Law Advisor.
This brief summary of Mary’s ROLI more-than-20-year career only hints at the depth of her accomplishments and contributions to human dignity, human rights, and the rule of law. In the course of her career and the hundreds of programs, training sessions, conferences, and other interventions that she led or participated in, Mary has helped strengthen the rule of law in dozens of countries, helped educate or train thousands of legal professionals, and has directly or indirectly helped improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Along the way she has established a network of friends, colleagues, and admirers at home and abroad whose lives have been enriched by her wisdom, example, and friendship.
When I first joined ROLI in the summer of 2018, Mary was one of the first ROLI associates I met. As I was being led to my office, my route passed by Mary’s office, a mass of flamboyant pink two doors from my own. Arrested by the novelty, I found the cornucopia of flamingos inside and outside her office both startling and wonderful – startling because it was so unexpected and unusual and wonderful for its color and joyfulness. As I was absorbing the splendor, Mary came out to introduce herself and her pets, her hand outstretched and a big smile on her face. “Welcome to ROLI,” she said, “let me know how I can help.”
Mary’s love affair with flamingos is deep, but what may seem a frivolity to some also reflects a serious purpose. By bringing her flamingos to the office she was purposefully injecting our workplace – which can be much too bland, serious, and corporate – with color, warmth, and playfulness. She was signaling that beauty, personality, idiosyncrasy, diversity, and fun have a necessary role to play in ROLI, too. (And they do, of course, as we now all understand as Mary has taught us.) Mary and her flamingos helped break down institutional and personal barriers, encouraged the creation of friendships, waged war against stuffiness, reminded us of the joys of the natural world, and subversively urged us not to take ourselves too seriously.
Above all, Mary has been dedicated to helping others. Much as she helped me become a better ROLI Director, she helped countless others. On any issue, at any time, anywhere around the world, Mary has always been willing to lend a hand, never mind the inconvenience to her or the additional workload. This selflessness, along with the multiple lessons her flamingos conveyed, are personal character traits that have imbued ROLI’s spirit, to the degree that it can honestly be said that Mary has left an indelible imprint in ROLI’s own character and culture. And all of this has been to the good. The entirety of the ABA’s Center for Global Programs thanks Mary for her many services to the rule of law, for her many contributions to ROLI, and for her powerful example and leadership.
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| ABA ROLI Team Meets with Ambassador of the African Union: Sebastian Abuja (far left), Betelhem Arega, Mary Greer, Alberto J. Mora, Namira Negm, and Paulette Brown (far right) after their meeting in the ABA Washington, D.C. office. |
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| We Are ABA ROLI: A Reminder from Pakistani Law Students: Mary Greer, judges with Mustafa Aleem, the main organizer of QLC’s first national moot court competition in Lahore, Pakistan. |
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| Pro Bono Spotlight: John W. Vaudreuil: Mary Greer alongside John Vaudreuil, who after nearly 40 years of service as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice began his pro bono service with ABA ROLI in March 2017. Since then, he has trained legal actors from Egypt, Libya, and Peru. |
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| ABA Rule of Law Initiative 2018 Annual Report: Bosnia ABA ROLI/CEELI liaisons Mary Greer, Heather Ryan, and Bill Hallock at historic war memorials in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1998). All three were midcareer practicing lawyers when they were drawn to volunteer in Bosnia. |
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| ABA ROLI's Partnership with the African Union in Ethiopia: Mary Greer and Sarah Kerwegi, ABA ROLI Program Director of Ethiopia are at the Peace and Security Department of the African Union Commission in Ethiopia. |
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| Our Friend, Judge Pat Wald: Courage in Words, Courage in Deeds: Mary Greer alongside Pat Wald, an attorney, and a judge. |
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