Mary Dwyer, a former college professor and administrator who led the renowned Institute for the International Education of Students through a period of extraordinary growth, has joined the board of directors for the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in English and social sciences at Mundelein College in Chicago, Dwyer earned both a master’s degree in education and a doctorate in public policy analysis at the University of Illinois Chicago.
She went on to serve as a faculty member and executive associate vice chancellor for research at the University of Illinois Chicago, and has worked as a consultant and teacher with an array of U.S. and international organizations across 20 countries.
As president/CEO of the Institute for the International Education of Students, or IES Abroad, from 1996-2020, Dwyer increased annual revenue from $9.8 million to nearly $150 million, and expanded annual scholarship outlays from $200,000 to more than $6.5 million.
Her awards include an Indiana University Bicentennial Medal, and an honorary doctorate in civil law from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. Dwyer currently serves as a board director for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Direct Relief, and the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation.
“Mary has a wealth of directly relevant experience, and I am very pleased to welcome her to the Scholarship Foundation Board,” said Barbara Robertson, Scholarship Foundation president/CEO.
The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara is the nation’s largest community-based provider of college scholarships, having cumulatively awarded more than $137 million to some 55,000 county students since its founding in 1962. A nonprofit organization, the Scholarship Foundation also provides free financial aid advising services. For more, visit www.sbscholarship.org.