Our Passion
Ultimately it boils down to this – we care about people and want to help children, schools, and communities grow. The good we can do depends on building positive relationships, so our schools and organizations will be successful.
Our Story
Mary Roberson technically started her career in education as a kindergarten teacher, but her training and passion for education began long before that. She grew up in a home of educators. Both of her parents were elementary teachers, and her dad an administrator. Dinner table conversations centered around education and playtime was playing school with an elaborate classroom set up in the basement, complete with detailed lesson plans created for imaginary pupils. Our name, Bower Consulting, is a nod to Mary’s role models and all-time favorite educators, Bill and Helen Bower. Mary lost her dad in 1995 while Mary was still a classroom teacher. Helen is still a motivator and a delight to all who know her. A few years ago, right after her 80th birthday, she stepped in to teach fifth grade for a 7-week leave (pictured below). What Mary learned from her parents was not just about education, but about life, with a mantra of “love one another,” still ringing in her ears and heart.
Meet Mary
Mary Roberson built her career in education by developing positive relationships, thinking creatively, and putting children first. Mary started her career as a kindergarten teacher, later a building level administrator, and then a superintendent for the past 20 years in two different districts. She has held leadership positions on numerous local and state boards and taught as an adjunct instructor at multiple universities. She sees her success as being part of positive teams, where the focus has always been on making a difference. Her humble approach to life and work is to leave the world a little better than we found it. Through Bower Consulting, Mary wants to continue to help schools and organizations, building on her experience as a leader, facilitator, and change maker. She takes great pride in her work in early childhood, college and career experiences, social emotional learning, mental health awareness, community collaborations, business partnerships, and leading from the heart.
Meet Zosha
Zosha graduated from the University of California Riverside with her MFA in the summer of 2023. There she wrote creative nonfiction, specializing in memoir. After graduation, she started her own freelance business, Zosha Marie Creative, offering services ranging from book editing and ghostwriting to website copywriting. Bower Consulting brought her on to the team originally to help with website design, copywriting, and marketing, but she soon advanced to a grant writer. She has learned from Mary, who has over 25 years of grant writing experience. This year she has helped Bower Consulting win over 15 competitive grants. Zosha has always been passionate about kids and writing, so being able to help schools through her words is a dream come true. She shared, “Being a grant writer is so rewarding. I love seeing the resources we can help schools obtain put to good use.” In addition to grant writing, Zosha continues to take on more roles in Bower Consulting by assisting with grant management, event planning, and helping schools with marketing.