Mary Butler, Director of Security and Visitor Engagement

Mary Butler joined PEM in August 2020 following a 33-year career with the Salem Police Department. She was appointed chief of police in 2015 — the first woman police chief in the city’s history. In this role, she oversaw public safety and law enforcement operations for the city of Salem, including managing a $22 million budget, supervision and training for 110 employees and coordinating complicated security logistics for large-scale events such as Haunted Happenings. She is a strong proponent of the community policing philosophy that encourages partnerships with relevant stakeholders to find solutions to community problems.

At PEM, she leads the museum’s Visitor Engagement and Security teams, overseeing the frontline staff responsible for welcoming and providing assistance to museum visitors and guiding the security policies and procedures in place to protect PEM's collections, exhibitions and properties.

Butler holds bachelor’s degrees from Salem State University in social services and criminal justice, with additional accounting coursework from Northeastern University.