Marybeth Riley Gardam

Marybeth grew up in New Jersey, attended Seton Hall University and the New School for Social Research, and started her career as an advertising executive, before directing development at a nonprofit hospital. In 1984, she moved to Macon, Georgia, with her husband and helped set up a Migrant Farmworker Coalition, serving as Director of the Central Georgia Peace Center, and leading efforts of Central Georgians for Central America.   

In 2000 her family moved to Iowa. In 2001, post 9/11, she set up Women for Peace Iowa, later joining with Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom US Section, Des Moines branch. Attracted to WILPFus.org because of its long history of connecting economic justice and human rights to the pursuit of peace, she served on WILPF US Board of Directors for three years, where she continues to serve as WILPF’s Development Chair.  Since 2008, she has also served as Chair of WILPF’s issue committee, Women, Money & Democracy, currently overseeing its creation of a Feminist Economic Toolkit and updating WILPF’s successful corporate personhood study course. 

While on the steering committee of Move to Amend.org, Marybeth began a number of MTA Iowa affiliates, seeking to get money out of elections and reverse the 2010 Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United, which equates campaign money with political speech. MTA is a grassroots effort to reverse this decision with a US Constitutional Amendment.

In her free time, Marybeth enjoys reading Louise Penny novels and playing with her new grandson Oliver.  She lives in Florida currently with her husband of 38 years. 

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