Maryann Petri
Maryann Petri is an investigative journalist, author, and podcast host based in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. A graduate of Gannon University, she began her professional career as a Registered Nurse, serving for more than two decades in multiple specialties including psychiatric care, cardiovascular units, ICU, NICU, dialysis, oncology, and emergency medicine. Her clinical background shaped her commitment to advocacy, ethics, and patient-centered care—principles that would later inform her work outside of healthcare. After facing her own complex legal battle in family court, Maryann transitioned from nursing into investigative journalism and authorship, channeling personal adversity into purposeful reform efforts.
In March 2020, she published Dismantling Family Court Corruption: Why Taking the Kids Was Not Enough, launching a series of works that examine systemic failures within family and federal courts. Her additional books include Cry Out For Justice: Poems of Truth and the multi-volume Raised by These Wolves (RBW2), which compile firsthand accounts from parents navigating high-conflict custody disputes, allegations of abuse, and claims of parental alienation. Representing herself as a pro se litigant, Maryann successfully appealed to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in two cases, including a child support matter (406WDA2017)—a rare outcome that strengthened her resolve to educate other parents about due process and judicial accountability.
Maryann is the creator and host of the internationally streamed podcast Slam the Gavel, launched in September 2020. The show covers civil, criminal, and family court issues, providing a platform for parents, advocates, and legal professionals to discuss courtroom practices, child support enforcement, registry placement, and trauma recovery. Her investigative work has drawn collaboration with five-time Emmy Award–winning director Adam Worth on a documentary trailer titled The Mailbox, aimed at expanding national dialogue around court reform. Through journalism, authorship, and media production, Maryann Petri continues to advocate for transparency, constitutional protections, and systemic accountability within the American legal system.
• Registered Nurse
• Associate Degree in Nursing from Gannon University
• Won two cases at Superior Court of Pennsylvania
• Including one as pro se litigant on child support (406WDA2017)
What do you attribute your success to?
My success came through my perseverance to bring justice forth and help others.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I had gotten was to keep going and learn as much as you can as you go along.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges are continuing to write books to help others as well as air the podcast, so people can get their stories out as judges, never listened to them.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
My values are helping others and guiding them who are very difficult times and listening, and letting them tell their stories.