Mary Pearson is the CFO, Vice President of Finance and Administration at Southern Utah University overseeing all Human Resource, Accounting & Budget, Audit, IT, Purchasing, and Business & Entrepreneurial Operations. Prior to her current role, Mary was the Dean of the Dixie L. Leavitt School of Business responsible for all undergraduate and graduate business programs at SUU. While serving as Dean she more than doubled enrollment, revamping the MBA program making it the largest MBA program in the state of Utah with over 875 students Fall 2023. Additionally, she raised over $15 million dollars in philanthropy and shepherded the construction of two new business buildings. Mary is an Associate Professor of Accounting and has taught internationally at two business schools in Austria for the last 17 years.

Mary is a certified public accountant with her own financial firm where she services over 250 clients. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for State Bank of Southern Utah, is on the Dixie & Anne Leavitt Family Foundation Board, the Helen Foster Snow Advisory Board, and is an appointed member of the Governor’s Economic Council representing the southern half of the state of Utah. Mary has served on several government appointed boards including the Chair of the Cedar City Planning and Zoning Commission, the Water Acquisition Board, the General Plan Executive Board, and on the Beaver County School District Audit Committee.

Mary recently was awarded the UACPA Women to Watch Leadership Award and the Cedar City Service Award. She has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Accounting and her PhD in Business Administration with an emphasis in Advanced Accounting. In addition to Mary's professional service, she served as PTA President, President of five LDS auxiliaries, and is a licensed competitive soccer coach. She is married to Alan Pearson and has 4 married children and 5 adorable grandchildren.