Mary Beth Powell
Deputy Director
Office: 919-843-3124
Fax: 919-843-3083
mbpowell@unc.edu
Job Focus
Mary Beth oversees all aspects of Active Living By Design operations and provides support for communications and technical assistance activities.
Why am I working at Active Living By Design?
It was only as an adult that I realized the “nirvana” of the neighborhood in which I grew up. My family lived on a small, man-made lake nestled in the hills of West Virginia. While Lake Floyd was built in 1923, its design was and remains extremely conducive to active living. I could ride my bike or walk to swimming practice; the tennis courts were directly across the street from our house; and we had basketball courts, a playground, a baseball field, a small golf course and plenty of woods to play in. My father used to take the family for after-dinner canoe rides most evenings in the summer. All of these opportunities were right there in my backyard, and no one had to step into a car to gain access to any of it.
I work at Active Living By Design because I believe that everyone deserves the right to live in environments that enable and encourage them to be physically active. When we go back to visit Lake Floyd, my daughter says, “Mom, you were so lucky to grow up here!” Through my work at ALBD, I hope I can help promote and transfer similar neighborhood concepts and designs in other communities across the country so that living actively becomes a cultural norm.
Bio:
As Deputy Director of Active Living By Design, Ms. Powell oversees all aspects of Active Living By Design operations and provides support for communications and technical assistance activities.
Prior to joining ALBD, Ms. Powell was the Deputy Director of UNC’s Interdisciplinary Obesity Center (2005 – 2007) and the Associate Director of the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, also at UNC (1996 - 2004). In addition to serving in a senior administrative manager role in both positions, Ms. Powell has been actively involved in environmental management research, including applied research on smart growth, new urbanism, sprawl and sustainable development issues. Previous positions included six years at the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (1990 - 1996), where she served as the director of the State of North Carolina’s recycling/waste reduction program, and five years at UNC's Institute for Environmental Studies (1985 - 1990).
Ms. Powell has a Bachelor of Science degree from West Virginia University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. With an MPH and more than 20 years of experience in environmental management, urban planning and community development, Ms. Powell sees this position as the perfect opportunity to apply her expertise toward promoting healthy living in healthy environments.
Mary Beth is the proud mother of Alyssa Prete, her 14-year-old daughter. They recently moved from a five acre parcel outside of Chapel Hill into the walkable, bikable community of Carrboro, NC. Both are avid Tar Heel fans and love to attend outdoor music festivals.
