Mary S. Butler and David J. Tainer

Mary remembers her time at the Star fondly. It’s where she acquired a love for news editorial and made lifelong friends, one of whom nominated her for the Northern Star Hall of Fame, which inducted Mary in 2005.

Mary earned an associate’s degree at her local community college before transferring to NIU as a junior in fall 1984. One of the first things she did once on campus was walk over to Campbell Hall, headquarters of The Northern Star, and fill out an application. She started on the Campus desk that fall, worked on the City desk the next semester, followed by Editorial Page Editor, Entertainment Editor, Managing Editor, and Editor-in-Chief.

After graduation, Mary started at Consumers Digest magazine as Editorial Assistant and eventually became Senior Internet Editor and oversaw content development for the magazine’s digital launch. Next, she was the 13th person hired at cars.com; starting as an Editorial Producer and eventually becoming the site’s Editorial Director.

In 2004, Forbes.com recruited her to head up the creation and launch of a luxury automotive site in New York. After that site launched and booked more than $1 million is advertising in its first year, Mary was recruited by Razorfish NYC to lead UX Content Strategy for a Fortune 50 automotive client. At the time, Razorfish’s motto was “inventing the digital future.” She spent a decade as a digital consultant for Fortune 100 firms and nonprofit clients, including the American Red Cross.