Mary Frances Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and professor of history and Africana studies. She is the former chairwoman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, former assistant secretary for education in the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, and the author of thirteen books. Berry is fellow of the Society of American Historians and of the National Academy of Public Administration and a distinguished fellow of the American Society for Legal History. In recognition of her scholarship and public service, she has received 35 honorary doctoral degrees and many awards.