The Rev. Sally E. Norris, Minister and President
The Rev. Sally E. Norris is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. During her recent ministry on Cape Cod at the Federated Church of Orleans, she raised the church’s profile and involvement in the community through collaboration with non-profits, faith communities, and civic organizations. She also co-founded and co-chaired the MLK Action Team which addresses racial justice through community building with local police departments, Cape-wide education and creating opportunities for dialogue in the public sphere. This work led her to become the first chaplain with the Orleans Police Department. In addition, she was active with justice initiatives of the Nauset Interfaith Association, and Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod.
Her ministry has also included active participation on boards and committees of the Massachusetts Conference UCC.
Sally is a native of New York City where she attended the United Nations International School. She holds a BA from Barnard College, an MA from Columbia University, and an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary. She has also engaged in doctoral study in theology at the University of Oxford in England.
Prior to her work at WAMS and on the Cape, Sally served for many years at The Riverside Church in New York City.
Mary Robbins, Vice President for Program
A graduate of Mount Holyoke College and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Mary began her career at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) as a project engineer tasked with designing community outreach programs related to used oil collection, household hazardous waste collection, and septage management. She went on to become the Policy and Planning Manager for the Executive Office where she worked closely with staff overseeing the transformation of MWRA’s sewage treatment system and water supply, distribution and treatment systems, including developing an agency-wide set of consistent mitigation policies to ensure fair and equitable practices related to community impacts. While at MWRA, Mary also co-authored several publications, including the award-winning “Down the Drain” curriculum and the “First Five Year Report to the Governor and Legislature.”
In addition to her work with the State, Mary has worked closely with several non-profits including the Worcester County Ecumenical Council, The Pastoral Counseling Centers of MA, Friends of Families in Transition, Habitat for Humanity (current board member), Matthew25 (current board member) and Trinity Church, Northborough.
Mary’s email address: mary@wamsworks.org