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Mary Smelcer graduated from Southern Illinois University in 1978 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry. After graduation she moved to the west coast to work for the US Forest Service in several locations in Northern California before landing her dream job as District Ranger in Ashland Oregon in 1988. At that time, Mary oversaw the Mt. Ashland planning efforts which resulted in the completion of the 1991 EIS and Master plan.

In 1994 she shifted roles to District Ranger of the Applegate Ranger District and became an active part of the Applegate Partnership, a community based collaborative effort.

In 2000 Mary became the Associate District Manager of the Medford BLM District overseeing the management of nearly a million acres of Public land until her retirement in 2014.

Mary also participates as a Planning Section Chief on a Pacific Northwest Interagency Incident Management team for managing large wildfires. She has been involved in fire management for over 27 years and continues her role as Plans Chief in retirement.