Mary Jo Running has been serving as an adjunct professor for Bridgewater State University since 2009. She is currently in her tenth year as director of the Norwell Middle School music program. Before coming to Norwell, Mrs. Running taught elementary, middle school and high school Band and General Music in the suburbs of Minneapolis, and in Salem (OR), where her groups were consistently awarded for superior performances at local and state festivals. She received her bachelor’s of Music Education from the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire in 1996 and a master’s in Education (Music Emphasis) from the University of Minnesota in 2006. She is currently the Vice President for the Southeastern Massachusetts School Bandmasters Association, and has served as the Southeast District Junior Jazz Ensemble Manager.