Mary Jaharis was born in Wisconsin, spent much of her early childhood in Athens, Greece and later moved to Chicago, where she completed middle school and high school. She attended Northwestern University, graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a degree in Fine Arts, and later studied at the New York School of Interior Design. She is on the Board of Directors of the Jaharis Family Foundation, an Honorary Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and on the Board of the St. Catherine’s Foundation, an organization overseeing the restoration of the St. Catherine Monastery in the Sinai Desert. Mrs. Jaharis is Life Trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as a previous Sustaining Fellow. She is also an active member of the Philoptochos Society, a women’s philanthropic organization affiliated with the Greek Orthodox Church, and has long been involved in programs to improve the lives of economically disadvantaged families and children. Most recently, Mrs. Jaharis was honored by Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology (Brookline, MA) for founding the Mary Jaharis Center for Byzantine Art and Culture, a premiere international study center for scholarly research and public programs.