Mary Frances Clardy

Mary Frances Clardy (born November 15, 1958) is an American teacher and politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), Clardy represents District 53A in the southeastern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of Inver Grove Heights, Sunfish Lake, Lilydale, and parts of both Mendota Heights and West St. Paul in Dakota County.

Early life, education, and career Clardy grew up in Burnsville, Minnesota, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Minnesota State University, Mankato, her teaching certificate from the University of St. Thomas, and a Master of Education from Grand Canyon University.

Clardy has worked as a teacher in Saint Paul, a housing advocate, and a civil rights commissioner. She became involved with the advocacy group Educators for Excellence and co-authored a policy paper proposing legislative solutions to recruit and retain teachers of color.

Political positions Clardy supports initiatives to recruit and retain more teachers of color in Minnesota schools, and authored a "safe schools" bill that would increase funding for school security, drug prevention, and cybersecurity. She also carried a proposal to help create a public awareness campaign about the effects of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in underserved communities.

Electoral history

Personal life Clardy resides in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. She identifies as Black. While teaching in Saint Paul, Clardy was injured by a student and suffered a traumatic brain injury, having to relearn how to walk, talk, read, and write.

Clardy's daughter Virginia is a health care recruiter and former NBA dancer. Virginia was cast on the eighth season of Love Is Blind, and Clardy appeared on the show.