Mary Finn, Premise Founder
Mary has recently been wondering what role do fate and unpredictability play in who we become?
She started Premise with the belief that all adults, regardless of their stage in life, should have the opportunity to experience intellectual nourishment and learn with people they may not otherwise meet. She knows firsthand that facilitated conversations about thought-provoking texts and life’s enduring questions can help us feel more alive and connected to ourselves and our communities.
Mary first encountered text-based, inquiry-driven learning as a graduate student at St. John’s College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she discovered that meaning and understanding are constructed by learning with others, especially those with whom we share the least in common.
Mary has experience leading and learning in numerous seminar-style, liberal arts courses, including community-based programs at Symposium Great Books Institute, Gather Learning, Portland Literary Arts Foundation Delve Seminars, The Attic Institute, The Underground Graduate School, and St. John’s College Summer Classics Seminars.
She is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowships: a study of American utopias and dystopias and an exploration of the life and work of philosopher Hannah Arendt.
In 2013, Mary founded Polis, a San Francisco-based program for adult learners that offered in-person, discussion-based courses with a community focus. Her work with Polis as both an instructor and its executive director planted the seed for Premise.
Mary earned a bachelor’s degree in history from The American University in Washington, DC. She also holds master’s degrees from Brown University, St. John’s College, and San Jose State University.
She lives in Portland, Oregon.
