IES Abroad has promoted Gretchen Cook-Anderson to the position of Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Antiracism, effective immediately.
In this new role, Cook-Anderson will continue to lead IES Abroad’s underrepresented student recruitment efforts with the Diversity Relations team; while also serving in a key leadership position that will strengthen organisation-wide efforts to increase diversity and inclusion.
“This new position is a natural progression of Gretchen’s valuable and highly effective leadership of IES Abroad’s underrepresented student recruitment efforts. Her leadership in the field has driven continued growth in both numbers and percentages of underrepresented students studying abroad on our programmes,” stated IES Abroad’s President and CEO, Dr Gregory Hess. “This expanded role allows Gretchen to also serve in a key leadership position that further strengthens all of the organisation’s work to increase diversity and inclusion; work that IES Abroad considers an inextricable part of our mission to educate successful and empathetic global leaders.”
RESPECTED VOICE IN DE&I
Cook-Anderson holds a bachelor’s degree from Spelman College and a master’s degree in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University. While at Spelman, she studied abroad on an IES Abroad programme in Nagoya, Japan. A 25-year marketing and PR professional with more than 10 years of experience in international education, Cook-Anderson joined IES Abroad in 2011 as the Director of Diversity Recruiting. She was then promoted to the position of Assistant Vice President, Diversity Recruiting and Advising. Cook-Anderson has developed a reputation as one of the study abroad field’s most respected voices in diversity and inclusion.
During her time with IES Abroad, Cook-Anderson and her team have driven continued growth in underrepresented students on IES Abroad programmes. “I joined IES Abroad almost 10 years ago and it’s been wonderful to have the support from the leadership level and across the organisation,” stated Cook-Anderson. “Working with my IES Abroad colleagues from around the world and with our partners and friends within the study abroad field has been extremely rewarding. It has been invigorating to witness how genuinely the critical work of furthering diversity and inclusion has been embraced by IES Abroad and the field.”
DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES & CULTURES
Cook-Anderson and her team have increased enrolment of ethnically diverse students by 151% since IES Abroad established the diversity initiative more than 10 years ago. In 2019-20, their efforts led to racially- and ethnically-diverse students making up 27% of the IES Abroad student body just prior to the pandemic. IES Abroad’s ongoing and award-winning diversity and inclusion efforts are integral to its commitment to represent and integrate diverse perspectives, cultures and ideas at home and abroad, confirmed the organisation.
In addition to her work at IES Abroad, Cook-Anderson is also well known in the study abroad field and within her local community. She hosts webinars, town halls, and training on topics such as achieving equity in virtual global learning, exploring the intersections of diverse identities abroad; and connecting students at Historically Black Colleges & Universities with tools and information for studying abroad.
IES Abroad is a not-for-profit study abroad and internship provider based in Chicago. It sends more than 10,000 college students to live and learn around the world each year, educating students to become global leaders. Its mission is rooted in changing the world “one student at a time”; a commitment more critical now than ever before, confirmed the organisation.
Sign up for our newsletter
