Mary Cypress Metz serves as the senior vice president of strategy for the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE). SCORE’s mission is to drive transformative change in Tennessee education so all students can achieve success. The nonprofit organization was founded in 2009 by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and today works to inform and improve state education policy, support and invest in innovative education leaders and promising proof points in both K-12 and postsecondary education, and monitor progress and data to measure impact and identify challenges for students. Mary Cypress drives organizational strategy and innovation to ensure impact toward SCORE’s mission. Since 2012, Mary Cypress has served in a variety of roles across SCORE’s work, including chief of staff, outreach, and communications.

Before joining SCORE in 2012, she taught seventh-grade math as a Teach For America corps member in Nashville. Mary Cypress serves as board chairman of Intrepid College Prep charter school, is an alum of Leadership Tennessee, and is the parent of a public school student in Tennessee. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and history from the University of Alabama and her master’s in education from Lipscomb University.