Mary Weaks-Baxter is the Andrew Sherratt College Professor at Rockford University, where she teaches courses in writing and American and British literature.

A member of the Phi Beta Kappa chapter at RU, Dr. Weaks-Baxter also teaches in the Gender Studies program and serves as Faculty Coordinator of the Community-Based Learning program and as the chair of the Rockford University Faculty. Her publications range from studies of the literature of the Southern United States to a history of the role of American college women during WWII.

She is active in the Rockford community as a trail steward for Winnebago County Forest Preserves and as a member of the Education Committee for Midway Village and Museum Center. Her favorite pastimes are hiking in the woods with her dog, Holly, and exploring local eateries and farmers markets with her husband and teenage son.