Mary Douglas Hirsch ’01 of Greenville, S.C., will be named the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Young Alumna award from Presbyterian College at a ceremony during Homecoming festivities. This award is designed to honor an alumna who displays early competence within the chosen field of endeavor and exceptional promise of future achievement.

Hirsch earned a bachelor of science in business administration from Presbyterian College in 2001.  As a student, she excelled academically, consistently making Dean’s List. Mary was also active as a member of Student Volunteer Services, Society for Advancement of Management, and as a member of Alpha Delta Pi.

After graduation, Hirsch went on to earn a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Clemson University. While at Clemson she was awarded the Edward L. Falk Citation for Merit and the Second Year Planning Student Award. Her strong work ethic and passion for city planning led her to be selected as a graduate assistant and later received an internship with the City of Greenville, S.C. Upon graduating from Clemson, Hirsch earned a full-time position working with the City of Greenville.

Since entering her career over ten years ago, she has served as the downtown development manager for the City of Greenville. Hirsch also serves as the city project manager on downtown mixed-use/planning projects. She is also responsible for the creation of materials such as the annual Downtown Visitors Map and Guide, the “More to Enjoy” wayfinding signs, and the Holiday Happening. Because of her dedication and attention to detail, the City of Greenville is now recognized by numerous magazines and travel guides as a top 10 destination to visit and place to live. Hirsch continues to provide excellent leadership, bringing people together to make projects work that will benefit the people of Greenville. She continues to serve her community by supervising Economic Development interns for the City, many are working on earning their master’s degrees in city and regional planning. Hirsch believes it is important to expose the next generation of city developers to as much as possible so that they get an in-depth understanding of the work in their area of study–all the while, modeling professional behavior and a strong work ethic.

Throughout her career, Hirsch has received multiple awards for her work in city planning and development: The Greenville Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year, The Greenville Leadership Institute, The Best and Brightest 35 and Under, and The City Ambassador Award. She has also served on several boards: Greenville Small Business Development Center, Main Street Events, and Greenville-Forward.

See all the 2017 Alumni Association Award recipients »