Mary Freer: Celebrating 35 years of administrative excellence at Michigan Medicine

Mary Freer receives a Presidential Citation from Lynnetta Smith, on behalf of President Ono (December 11, 2024)
READ the Presidential Citation

The Gilbert S. Omenn Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics (DCMB) at the University of Michigan (U-M) celebrates the professional achievements and retirement of Mary Freer, its Chief Department Administrator. With an impressive 35 years of service at Michigan Medicine, Freer has brought dedication and expert management to every role she has undertaken. Freer has touched the lives of many in the institution, striving to bring the best in everyone, fostering warm and supportive relationships, and demonstrating an unwavering commitment to Michigan Medicine’s values. 

Freer started her career at the U-M in 1990, as a financial analyst and computer network administrator in the Unit for Lab Animal Medicine (ULAM) where she was promoted to Department Administrator in 2000. There she collaborated with the Sponsored Program Implementation Team (SPIT) to create what came to be known as “M Reports,” a budget management platform that has been adopted throughout the entire organization. For this remarkable accomplishment, she received the “2003 Medical School Administrator of the Year.”

In 2004, Freer became the Division Administrator in Internal Medicine/Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine (PCCM). She administered a $22 million budget, and led the administration that supported about 55 faculty, 31 postdocs and advanced practice professionals and a staff of over 200 members. She also managed staff who were conducting NIH funded clinical trials studying Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis, COPD and Critical Care Medicine. In this role, she developed the “Budgetnator,” a Microsoft Excel template used to assist faculty with estimating the cost of running a clinical trial. She presented this new management tool at an Alliance of Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) meeting.  She was then recognized with the “2010 Internal Medicine Administrator of the Year.”

Also while at PPCM, she established the Assisted Ventilation Clinic for adult patients to improve the quality of care for patients on home ventilation systems and reduce the number of unnecessary admissions to the hospital. Under her leadership, the clinic also implemented tele-care, and went from caring for one hundred to six hundred patients.

As DCMB’s Chief Departmental Administrator since 2018, Freer has overseen all aspects of budgeting, operations, and strategic planning, including a $13M budget of sponsored funding, 19 primary faculty, over 100 graduate students, and 11 administrative staff. In 2020, she was named Most Valuable Player - University of Michigan Health System. She also led the planning of DCMB’s move to the renovated Medical Sciences I Building slated to open in early 2026, contributing to the lab and office space design and organization. She was essential to the success of the department’s 10th anniversary celebration. 

Freer is very grateful for the administrative team that she has led in DCMB. “It has been great to work together toward the same goals of supporting research and education,” she said.

All along her career, Freer has been a member of multiple administrative committees across Michigan Medicine, being one of the pillars of this institution. She has acquired an exceptional knowledge of U-M’s administration and processes. 

“Mary brought deep experience in the administration of the UM Medical School, expertise about budgets, good insights about interpersonal relationships, and a can-do approach to all aspects of her role. Also a love of tennis!” —Gilbert S. Omenn, M.D., Ph.D.

As a lead administrator, Freer has also experienced the many challenges and turbulences of a leadership career, and feels deeply about mutual support, sustained friendships and positive culture. These interests and values led her to become more engaged in coaching. She has mentored research administrators under the Research Administration Mentoring Program (RAMP), and participated in the Executive Leadership Coaching Program. “I enjoy seeing people grow and get more confident in their leadership,” she said. She also co-facilitated a workshop at the “Michigan Medicine Women in Leadership Day” about finding one’s purpose. “To listen to these women sharing about what gives them purpose was a very energizing experience,” she said.

Curious and eager to learn more, Freer is pursuing a Master’s Degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development, and will graduate in December 2024. “With these studies, I learned new concepts and tools to be a better manager. Ultimately, they helped me create a positive work environment which is very satisfying,” she said. 

“Mary has been so effective in creating a positive work environment that I feel comfortable approaching her about any topic or concerns that might come up. She always makes me feel heard and is, at her core, a compassionate problem solver who is invested in her employees; she cares and wants to see her team thrive in their positions.”—Jessica Mirelez, Research Administrator at DCMB

Asked about professional career advice, Freer said: “Trust yourself, you are enough. You have skills that others might not have, and other people might have skills that you do not have. It just means that you have different skills. Stop comparing yourself and meet yourself where you are.” And also: “If you are lost, take the route that goes up. If you do not know what your next move is, talk to someone above you and see if they can help you.” 

Freer is an avid quilter and that passion might be a perfect metaphor for her approach to diversity in relationships and life: “I love quilting because I can take fabrics you’d never think would look good together, but by putting them together, something beautiful and fun happens.”

“There are many adjectives one could use to describe Mary: organized, compassionate, flexible, analytical, hardworking, and the list goes on. We have been fortunate to have her as our chief administrator, as a colleague, and as a friend. I wish the best to her for her retirement, and I look forward to seeing all the new quilts she will now have time to create!”—Ryan Mills, Ph.D., Program Director of DCMB Computing Infrastructure, Professor of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, and of Human Genetics

Outside of work, Freer is also on the tennis court. “Tennis is like meditation because to do well you cannot think about anything else. Building a winning pattern takes repetition. For example, the administrative team’s weekly meeting helps us stay in a winning routine that keeps our connection strong. Our little DCMB society is a place where people feel they belong.” 

“When I help others find their way, that helps me find my way.”—Mary Freer

Transitioning into retirement, Freer looks forward to keep learning new things through gardening, volunteering, and traveling with her husband. Their first stop will be South Carolina, and then off to Scotland and visiting friends in Seattle. She may pursue consulting and coaching after having had some time away.

Congratulations, Mary!

Testimonial:
“... Mary has been one of the staples of my career at U-M, we met in the Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine where she was our department administrator. Even after Mary moved into other roles we kept in touch on many topics either work related or personal. Her support to me when I was taking on a role as a department administrator was invaluable. I have always appreciated her helpful nature and fantastic sense of humor. She can teach effectively and be real about everything that goes into juggling 50 flaming bowling pins while riding a bike on a tightrope (a.k.a. life as a department administrator). Her dedication to lifting others up, particularly with her passion to help girls learn to code is truly remarkable. I will miss Mary, our stories of days past, our commiserating while also problem solving, and her absolute devotion to helping our organization be better.”

 —Valerie Hill, Chief Department Administrator, Unit for Laboratory Animal Medicine

Mary Freer and Katie Ellis hold one of Mary’s quilt, titled “Chandelier for Teagan,” DCMB picnic, June 7, 2023

Mary Freer having fun, DCMB retreat, September 20, 2024

Mary Freer on a pickleball court at DCMB’s retreat, September 20, 2024