Mary Koester is a Red Bud High School alum, having graduated from there in 2002. She went on to earn an associates degree from Southwestern Illinois College in 2004 and a photojournalism degree from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2006.
She became the editor of the North County News in 2008 after the retirement of long time editor Jane Lucht.
Mary resides in Red Bud with her husband and daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys obstacle course racing, running 5Ks/half marathons, hunting, fishing, gardening, crochet, cooking, helping out at her family’s farm, listening to music and curling up with a good book.
Mary is also very active in the community. She is currently a Girl Scout troop leader, a director for the Red Bud Chamber of Commerce, a director for the Southern Illinois Editorial Association, and a founding member of the Randolph County Community Foundation.