Mary P. Easley

Mary Pipines Easley is an American attorney, academic, and former university administrator who, as the wife of Governor Mike Easley, served as First Lady of North Carolina from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman to maintain her career while serving as first lady and the first Catholic and Greek American to serve in this position.

As first lady, Easley championed educational, artistic, and public health initiatives in North Carolina. She focused on promoting childhood immunization, access to public libraries, and teacher recruitment across the state. An avid arts patron, she partnered with the North Carolina Museum of Art to help procure funding and bring in international exhibits, including exhibits on Monet and Auguste Rodin. Before serving as first lady, Easley was one of the first women to serve as an assistant district attorney in eastern North Carolina.

She served on the faculty at North Carolina Central University and North Carolina State University, teaching law and police management and running a public safety center. In 2009, she and her husband became the subjects of a financial scandal regarding the misuse of campaign funds. She was later fired from North Carolina State University after it was revealed that she had obtained her job, with an annual salary of $175,000, with the help of her husband's influence as governor.

Early life and education Easley is the daughter of James and Ann Pipines. She has a sister, Irene. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, she graduated from Ramapo High School in 1968.

Easley attended Wake Forest University to study political science, graduating magna cum laude in 1972. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa while an undergraduate. degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was a member of Phi Delta Phi. She was hired at North Carolina State University as an executive-in-residence and a senior lecturer, running a program for emergency rescue workers and coordinating law education initiatives. She built the Millenium Seminar series at North Carolina State, bringing in guest speakers including David Gergen, Robert Reich, Charlie Rose, Senator Lindsey Graham, Myles Brand, Bill Bradley, and Donna Shalala.

First Lady of North Carolina Easley became First Lady of North Carolina in 2001 when her husband was elected as the 72nd Governor of North Carolina. She was the first woman to maintain a separate career while serving as First Lady and the first Catholic to serve in the role.

As First Lady, Easley promoted the arts and education and led a campaign against underage drinking called The First Ladies' Initiative to Keep Children Alcohol Free. She established initiatives in teacher recruitment and infant immunization, focusing on North Carolinians who speak English as a second language. Easley led the North Carolina Institute of Medicine's Latino Health Task Force, a partnership between the institute and El Pueblo, Inc., as honorary chair.

In 2002, she served as the spokesperson for the State Library of North Carolina's The Very Best Place to Start initiative, going on a state-wide speaking tour to ensure library access for children in North Carolina.

She volunteered at the North Carolina Museum of Art, recruiting international exhibits, organizing events, and assisting in fundraising efforts. In 2007, Easley went to France as part of a cultural exchange that brought a Monet exhibit to the museum.

Easley commissioned a painting of the North Carolina Executive Mansion, titled The Governor's Mansion, by the artist William Mangum.

Financial scandal News broke that the total cost of Easley's trips to Europe was $109,000. She was criticized by the North Carolina State Employees Association members, who claimed she was given preferential treatment as the governor's wife. She began a formal grievance process following her termination. Easley agreed not to sue the university for severing its contract with her. In return, she received an additional $40,000 in annual pension benefits.

Towards the end of her term, she and her husband were involved in a financial scandal related to the misuse of campaign funds.

Personal life Easley was introduced to Mike Easley, then an assistant prosecutor, by her district attorney. They married in 1980. Easley and her husband lived in an oceanfront house in Brunswick County before moving to Raleigh when her husband was elected as the North Carolina Attorney General. She and her husband live in Charlotte and have a summer home in Southport. They have one son, Michael F. Easley Jr.

Easley is a practicing Catholic.