Mary M. Dwyer

Dr. Mary M. Dwyer is president emerita of IES Abroad, one of the oldest, largest and most academically reputable not for profit study abroad program providers for U.S. and international college students.   During Dr. Dwyer’s 24-year tenure as the president/CEO, IES Abroad educated over 122,000 students and operated over 400 programs in more than 80 cities, on 6 continents, across 21 countries.  

Under Dr. Dwyer’s leadership, IES Abroad grew from a $10 million operation to an over $150 million operation. She accrued an over $60 million investment portfolio to serve as the organization’s safety net.  Annual enrollment grew from 1,200 to over 10,500 students originating from a variety of countries.  Dr. Dwyer added 2 new business lines and oversaw the acquisition of 3 additional international education organizations. She initiated the highly successful diversity initiative which increased the number of underrepresented students by 91% amounting to an additional 10,000 diverse students studying abroad.  She initiated several pioneering efforts in the field which have been sustained such as the Founding of the Forum on Education Abroad and the establishment of program standards. 

Previously, Dr. Dwyer held a faculty position at the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago and several campus administrative roles including the Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research.  She worked in 7 emerging nations in the field of medical education and health policy. 

Dr. Dwyer has extensive Board experience across over 8 organizations, served on a U.S. bi-partisan Presidential Commission, chaired the Rhodes Scholars Selection Committee, and has been awarded numerous professional awards in the field of international higher education.  

Dr. Dwyer holds a bachelor’s degree in English and social sciences from Mundelein College (a woman’s college acquired by Loyola University), a master’s degree in educational leadership and a doctorate in public policy analysis (emphasis higher education policy) from the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She was awarded an honorary doctorate in civil law from the University of the South.