
Nancy Marie Gilliam: Former MPAT leader turned Pulitzer Prize nominee
By Wakisha Bailey
CBS News Philadelphia
Nancy Marie Gilliam is a former Mastery Parent Action Team (MPAT) leader who played a pivotal advocacy role for the network while her children attended Shoemaker Campus. Now an alumni parent, Nancy continues to channel her passion for activism into impactful work beyond the Mastery community through her art. Her play “The Bookstore,” about the owner of Harlem’s iconic Liberation Bookstore, is currently up for a Pulitzer Prize in the drama category.
Nancy Marie Gilliam has made an honorable career working for Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services for 14 years, but she was never able to pursue her first love: performing on Broadway.
“My father took me to see the all-Black production of ‘Hello Dolly,'” Gilliam said.
“Hello Dolly” featured Cab Calloway and Pearl Bailey, the actresses her father insisted she meet as a child — and that she did.
Join MPAT and be a voice for all schools in our network. MPAT members work together to advocate for positive change, supporting our students, staff, and communities. Learn more and join today today.