Mary Pedersen, recently appointed interim director of the School of Education at Colorado State University, is applying her extensive expertise in academic leadership to help imagine and implement the future of the school.
Pedersen joined CSU in August 2020 as provost and executive vice president, serving in the role for two years, guiding the University through the complexities of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and launching CSU’s Academic Master Plan process. She came to CSU after more than 30 years at Cal Poly, where she was a professor of nutrition and held multiple leadership roles, including department head, associate dean, senior vice provost, and interim provost.
Pedersen brings extensive experience in strategic planning, budgets, student success, new program development, program review and assessment of student learning, accreditation, and other academic leadership. She believes the support of the faculty and staff should be the top priority.
Tell us about yourself!
I was born in Sacramento, California. My father was a pilot in the Air Force, so we moved every 1-3 years. I had the wonderful opportunity to grow up as a “Third Culture Kid” living all over the world, attending 16 schools from Pre-K through 12th grade. I started my education at a Montessori preschool in Athens, Greece and then attended public and parochial schools in Sacramento, California and Dayton, Ohio. Next, we moved to Paris, France and I attended the Paris American High School for all my middle school years, and finally graduated from high school at the International School in Bangkok, Thailand. This international, intercultural experience provided me with a very rich, broad, diverse, and inclusive perspectives of people and the world. I value the opportunity of experiencing so many different types of educational systems and models for education and I have continued to explore various educational models throughout my career. I have also continued to travel extensively, and I love to continue learning about different cultures, perspectives, and world views on life.
Where have you previously studied and worked?
I began my undergraduate career pursuing sciences and completed a degree in biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. I then pursued a master and doctorate in public health nutrition with a minor in lipid biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the School of Public Health. Following this, I completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Atherosclerosis at UCLA School of Medicine. I began my academic career at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo as an Associate Professor, teaching and conducting research in medical nutrition therapy. I also was a visiting professor and completed a sabbatical at the University of Hawai’i, Mānoa, studying the epidemiology of diseases in the Pacific Rim. Later in my career, I worked on a collaborative partnership to help develop a College of Sustainable Agriculture and Health in Ndola, Zambia, traveling to Zambia several times to work with the team. I have continued my interest in K-12 education during this entire time, helping to start a charter school in San Luis Obispo, California, serving on the governing board for 8 years and helping to design the educational model used in the school. We met accreditation requirements, the students scored very highly on standardized testing, and the model was very successful. My five daughters all attended this charter school and I tutored and taught many lessons in various classrooms specifically in math and science.
What are you most excited about regarding your new role and your potential to make an impact?
In my first three months with the School of Education, I have now met with all the faculty and staff to learn about their areas of expertise and strengths. I am most excited about working with such a talented group of faculty and staff to envision the future together. We are collaboratively working together to develop a new mission, vision, and strategic plan for the School of Education that prepares our current and future students for education and leadership into the future.
What do you enjoy outside of academia?
I enjoy many outdoor activities and traveling anywhere! I enjoy Pilates and hot yoga classes, reading, sewing, and recently I am learning to play the banjo. I love to spend time with my daughters and their families and time with them is a priority.
What is your favorite thing about CSU?
In addition to the people here at CSU, my most favorite things are all the beautiful trees. I never stop being in awe of their beauty, diversity, and colors throughout the seasons.
