Mary Ellen Liona

Authors

• Mary Ellen Liona

Disciplines

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies | Queer Studies

Abstract

Abstract prepared by Aaliyeh Sayed and Marissa Chavez Mary Ellen Liona is a retired civil servant with deep roots in Brooklyn, New York, where she built a career and a life centered on community ties. Starting her professional journey in 1979 with the New York City Board of Education, she later worked for organizations such as J.P. Morgan and Western Electric. Over the course of her life, Mary Ellen faced personal challenges, including navigating the complexities of single motherhood and divorce. Despite these challenges, Mary Ellen’s narrative reflects the profound importance of a community-network and friendship. Mary Ellen reflects on the way her family’s history intertwined with larger societal forces, such as her grandmother’s work as a “matron” in the fire department, showing how these ties served as both a means of survival and a form of resistance against a world that often overlooked women and marginalized groups. For Mary Ellen, community has always been at the heart of navigating both personal and professional challenges, a theme that resonates throughout her reflections on her life in civil service and the deep ties that continue to define her identity.

Recommended Citation

Chaves, Marissa and Aaliyeh Sayed. "Mary Ellen Liona Interview" (2024). Fordham Univeristy, SAGE Oral History Project.