Mary Bellman

Professional Bio

Mary Bellman is the director of labor education and associate clinical professor at Penn State’s School of Labor and Employment Relations. In her two decades as a labor educator, Mary has developed and facilitated numerous labor leadership programs in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and nationally. As part of a small outreach team at Penn State, she teaches courses and workshops on a range of topics for the labor movement. From 2018-2022, Mary served two terms as national president of the United Association for Labor Education (UALE), the professional organization for labor education in higher education, unions, and community organizations in the U.S.

After earning her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of New Mexico, Mary served as program director for a labor solidarity organization in Central America, learning the craft of labor education while facilitating exchanges between labor union women. Before joining the faculty at Penn State, Mary worked as a labor educator with the Labor Education Service at the University of Minnesota for six years. Mary has longstanding interests in women’s leadership, political economy, immigrant workers, and popular education.