Mary Tribble

Mary Tribble has built her career on the power of storytelling to connect people and convey purpose. After graduating from Wake Forest University in 1982, she founded and led a Charlotte-based event marketing firm for 25 years. There, she used large-scale events as a platform to help corporations and nonprofits communicate their mission and values with authenticity and impact. She was honored as BusinessWoman of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, and was inducted into the Event Solutions Hall of Fame.
In 2014, Mary returned to her alma mater to lead the alumni engagement team, shaping experiences that deepened the bond between Wake Forest and its graduates before retiring to create and host Wake Women, a podcast by and about the women of Wake Forest University. A public speaker, writer, and podcaster, Mary has dedicated much of her work to elevating stories that inspire. She earned her Master of Liberal Studies degree in 2019 and published Pious Ambitions: Sally Merriam Wait’s Mission South, 1813–1831with the University of Tennessee Press. She served on Wake Forest’s Slavery, Race, and Memory Project, co-chaired the Universities Studying Slavery Conference in 2020, and continues to speak on topics of leadership, history, and community. She uses her expertise to consult with nonprofits and cultural institutions, helping them craft narratives that engage constituents and communicate vision and values.