Her Story
About Marcy
Marcy Kumer, She/Her, is a Case Manager and Outreach Coordinator with more than 12 years of experience supporting vulnerable populations across Tucson, Arizona. Her professional background includes extensive work with pregnant teens, women experiencing homelessness, and individuals affected by substance use, with a focus on connecting clients to critical resources, treatment programs, and long-term support systems. She has also provided outreach services through community-based organizations such as The Haven in Tucson, strengthening access to care for individuals in crisis.
Throughout her career, Marcy has supported pregnant teenagers who chose to parent, providing guidance on infant care, parenting education, and stability planning. She has also worked directly with pregnant women experiencing substance use, including opiate dependency, helping them access treatment and recovery services. In her current role with Adoption Solution of Arizona, she supports women facing complex circumstances including substance use, sexual assault, and domestic violence, while assisting families navigating adoption and providing compassionate, resource-centered case management.
Marcy is a person in long-term recovery, celebrating 15 years of sobriety, and draws on her lived experience to provide empathetic, nonjudgmental support to those she serves. She is also a published poet and is currently working on a book, using writing as a tool for reflection and healing. She earned multiple associate degrees and graduated with honors in 2017. Her personal journey, including the loss of her son in a tragic hit-and-run in 2003, has deepened her commitment to grief-informed care, resilience, and helping others move forward with dignity and hope.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Marcy
01What do you attribute your success to?
She attributes her success to her lived experiences with addiction and grief, which have shaped her resilience, empathy, and commitment to helping others. Having personally navigated significant life challenges, she developed a deep understanding of perseverance and healing, which continues to guide her professional approach. These experiences have strengthened her ability to connect with individuals facing adversity and remain dedicated to supporting others through some of their most difficult circumstances with compassion and purpose.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice she has ever received is to keep going, even when challenges feel overwhelming. This message became especially meaningful when her son enrolled her in school because he believed in her potential and encouraged her to pursue her education. That moment reinforced the importance of perseverance, self-belief, and honoring the encouragement of those who see your strength even when you may not see it yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Her advice to young women entering the field is to pursue this work for the right reasons, grounded in a genuine desire to help and support others. She emphasizes that this field requires compassion, patience, and emotional resilience, and that meaningful impact comes from truly caring about the people you serve rather than external recognition. Staying connected to purpose and maintaining a service-driven mindset, she believes, is what sustains long-term fulfillment and success in this work.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in case management and adoption work is navigating the emotional complexity of supporting individuals through some of the most difficult and most meaningful moments in their lives. This includes being present with birth parents during the painful decision of placing a child for adoption, while also sharing in the joy of adoptive families as they welcome a child into their home. Balancing grief and hope in the same space requires strong emotional resilience, compassion, and professionalism. At the same time, this dynamic also creates a powerful opportunity to make a lasting impact by ensuring children are placed in safe, loving environments and by connecting individuals and families with the resources and support they need to move forward with stability and care.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to her in both her work and personal life are honesty and kindness, as they form the foundation for how she interacts with others and approaches every situation. She believes that honesty builds trust and accountability, while kindness ensures that every individual is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect. Together, these values guide her decision-making, strengthen her relationships, and shape her commitment to supporting others in meaningful and authentic ways.
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