Mary Jo DeGrandi, MS
Business Development Strategist

Mary Jo DeGrandi, M.S., brings more than 30 years of experience supporting individuals and families across a wide range of mental health and educational settings. Her career has spanned clinical and leadership roles in residential programs, outdoor behavioral health, outpatient services, therapeutic boarding schools, and community-integrated care.

Born and raised in Connecticut, Mary Jo earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and English Literature from Fairfield University, where she embraced the Jesuit values of social justice, care for the whole person, contemplation, and service to others. After graduation, she moved to Alaska, where she served as a women and children’s advocate at a domestic violence shelter and worked with native Alaskan youth in residential and outdoor experiential programs.

Returning to the East Coast, Mary Jo earned her Master’s degree in Ecopsychology and Human Development from Antioch New England Graduate School. Her graduate work—and much of her subsequent career—focused on how connection with the natural world supports health, growth, and healing. She spent a decade in clinical practice in outdoor and residential settings, specializing in relational and experiential modalities, DBT, and trauma-responsive care.

Mary Jo’s passion for guiding and supporting families through times of transition eventually led her into admissions, outreach, and business development. In her current role at Valley View School, she brings deep clinical insight and genuine compassion to connecting families and professionals with the resources that help boys and their families heal, grow, and thrive.

Mary Jo has lived in Vermont for the past 20 years with her husband, Troy, their children Archer and Mairen, and their chocolate Labrador Retriever, Princess Coco Bear. Their adult sons, Keegan and Caleb, live nearby. She loves hiking in the woods with Coco, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.