Mara Trionfero Lucas

Project Development Associate

Why LEO?

“Through professional and volunteer experiences, I’ve been primarily focused on direct service to individuals. While that may help some individuals in need, there’s too much we don’t really know on what turns the tide in reducing poverty overall. I’m really excited to be on the front line of encountering organizations with innovative approaches to disrupting multiple dimensions of poverty as part of the LEO team. Through rigorous research, more effective systems for serving the most vulnerable among us can be identified.Then, we can use those results to improve and expand systems to build communities where the common good prevails.”

Bio

As a Project Development Associate, Mara works on the Strategic Partnerships Team to identify partners ready for rigorous research with LEO. She worked in the Student Health and Wellness Unit in the Division of Student Affairs at Notre Dame with an emphasis on substance use risk reduction for 15 years before joining the LEO team. She received her BA in History from LeMoyne College, in Syracuse, NY, and her Masters of Science in Social Work, with a specialization on child and family studies and school social work, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In addition to being an avid reader, she enjoys volunteering and being an engaged community member/civic cheerleader in South Bend.