When Mary Crossan was an undergraduate student at Western University, she was a varsity volleyball player with hopes to become a physical education teacher. By happenstance, she enrolled in a business course, and her career trajectory changed. “Back in the day, business courses were not mainstream anywhere. It wasn’t in high schools and because I had no exposure to business, I never even thought about it. When I took that class, I thought this is pretty intriguing.”

Taking that business course opened the door to new possibilities and led her to eventually pursue an MBA and PhD from Western University’s Ivey Business School, where Mary is now a Distinguished University Professor– Western University’s highest honor recognizing excellence in teaching, research, and service over a substantial career. Nominated based on recognition of her many achievements and pedagogical innovations, especially to develop leader character, Mary Crossan is the winner of the 2023 Distinguished Educator Award, presented during the Annual Meeting in August 2023.

“For me winning the award is incredibly special and humbling. I think it says to people like me, who don’t necessarily fit a particular mold, that you can make a difference in the academic profession. I have often pioneered new research areas and pursued innovative teaching methods in a very inter-disciplinary fashion. Ivey is a place where I have learned with, and from my colleagues about the synergistic effect of teaching, research and practice - domains often seen as in tension, whereas the synergies can be so enlightening and inspiring.”

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