"Waldren is a powerhouse of drive and enthusiasm. She is becoming recognised as one of the nation's marketing whiz kids. Since becoming manager of the festival in 1993 Waldren transformed the event from a virtual one-man show with a $70,000 budget to a $1 million international operation."
- The Sunday Times

"Canberra-based Mary-Anne Waldren knows her way around the corridors of power."
- The Australian

"Mary-Anne has grown the festival, now in its 13th year, into a powerhouse of ideas for science communication and event management."
- Capital Life magazine

"Another fantastic festival for Executive Director of the Australian Science Festival Mary-Anne Waldren. It just gets better with age."
- The Canberra Times

"Science advocate Mary-Anne Waldren has taken upon herself the nurturing of Canberra's soul. The important thing, she says, is creating the depth of culture that will make our city stimulating enough for the nation's most advanced minds to want to stay."
- The City News

"The energetic and highly motivated Executive Director of the Australian Science Festival, Mary-Anne Waldren, has an exciting vision of Canberra as Australia's 'Science City' - and why shouldn't we be? As the home of 2 per cent of the country's population we receive about 10 per cent of the nation's research funding."
- Canberra Business Council Executive Director John Miller, The Canberra Times