Mary Manz Simon
For more than forty years, Mary has combined her training as an early childhood educator, insights as a corporate consultant and children's market analyst and experiences as a mother and grandmother to provide a wide range of services and presentations to audiences and companies. She holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in education.
Her platform of practical advice within a developmental framework appeals to educators and parents who want real-time solutions. Named by a major national magazine as “one of America’s top parenting pros,” Simon's extensive work in publishing, education and children's entertainment gives her a comprehensive perspective on emerging issues that impact families.
With sales of more than 3 million books in English alone (and many more in 11 other languages) and hundreds of magazine articles and media interviews, Dr. Mary is, in the words of her son, Matthew, "a world changer.”
The Illinois State University Alumni Association presented Mary with the Distinguished Service Award for "exceptional service to mankind." Mary holds five Silver Angel Awards from Hollywood-based Excellence in Media and earned two awards from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. On October 15, 2021, Mary was inducted into the Hall of Fame for the College of Education at Illinois State University.
Mary was honored to get a behind-the-scenes author experience at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. The Library has 88 of her books. Most titles are on-site and available upon request, within an hour. A personal catalog of her titles in the Library of Congress is 90 pages, single-spaced!
Mary received the Behnken Medallion at the Veterans of the Cross event in Florida on March 8, 2022. Shown below with her presenter, Rev. Dr. Curtis Deterding, the award is chosen by peers and given to those who exemplify faithfulness, diligence and humility in their service to Christ and the Church.