Mary Harper

Dr. Mary Harper serves as the Executive Director of the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TXAEYC). A nationally recognized educational leader and early childhood systems strategist, she brings more than 25 years of experience spanning childcare, PreK–12 education, higher education, nonprofit leadership, and statewide early learning systems.

Dr. Harper’s career has focused on strengthening the early childhood workforce, advancing program quality, and building systems that improve outcomes for young children and families. She has held senior leadership roles in large publicly funded early learning organizations, including serving as Chief Program Officer and Deputy Executive Officer for major early learning coalitions in Florida, where she helped guide strategic planning, policy implementation, and quality initiatives affecting thousands of early childhood programs and educators.

In addition to her system-level leadership, Dr. Harper has spent many years in higher education preparing the next generation of early childhood educators. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator in Early Childhood Education at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, where she leads undergraduate educator preparation programs, oversees accreditation and assessment systems, and conducts research on instructional innovation, developmental theory, and program quality.

Throughout her career, Dr. Harper has led large-scale initiatives supporting early childhood systems, including managing programs and budgets exceeding $250 million and securing millions in grant funding to expand workforce development, professional learning, and quality improvement efforts. She frequently presents at national and international conferences and contributes to scholarship focused on accreditation, workforce development, and continuous quality improvement in early childhood education.

At TXAEYC, Dr. Harper is committed to strengthening the association’s role as a professional home for early childhood educators across Texas. Her work focuses on expanding membership, strengthening chapters and partnerships, and ensuring that the association provides meaningful professional learning, advocacy, and support for the diverse professionals who serve young children and families.