Mary attended several schools in Pennsylvania until her father, John, was named as US Ambassador to Belgium. She lived in Brussels with her family from shortly after her grandfather’s death in 1969 through 1972.

     Career endeavors have included Capital Hill as a receptionist and assistant case worker for a congressman, eight years in the commercial photographic industry as a senior customer service representative and 13 years as the manager of an engineering firm. She has sat on numerous Boards; other professional and volunteer affiliations are available upon request. Recently she completed a Fellowship at Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.

     Since joining People to People International, Mary has traveled extensively throughout the US, Africa, Europe and Asia to include a visit to Morocco to represent her family to the King on the 50th anniversary of the ANFA conference. She also traveled through the lands of the D-day invasion during the centennial anniversary of her grandfather’s birth. There she had the privilege of traveling with and meeting many of the European veterans who served with her grandfather.

     Over the last four years she has left US soil 38 times and visited over 40 countries. Missions have included everything from meeting first families to distributing food stuffs in developing countries to cultural and humanitarian exchanges. More information can be found on PTPI’s website at www.ptpi.org.

     In 1999 she started the People to People International Friendship Fund inspired by an orphanage she visited in Morocco. The fund is designed as a way for people to help the friends and facilities they visit throughout the world and to help the PTPI Chapter network to assist each other. To date the fund has been able to provide assistance to causes such as the Global Humanitarian Eradication of Landmines, Children’s Mercy Hospital in London, England, Earthquake relief in India, disaster relief to victims of September 11, 2001 and their families, support of underprivileged schools in China and Sri Lanka, a home for leukemia victims and their families in Cuba, a library project in Viet Nam, Friends of Egypt, among many others. One hundred percent (100%) of all funds received through the International Friendship Fund go to the efforts and projects as specified by the donors. Funds received for the IFF that are not donor designated serve as applied and matching grants for relief efforts throughout the globe. All IFF funds are distributed by means of the People to People network, ensuring their distribution to the proper recipients. Ms. Eisenhower’s speaker honorariums are donated directly in to the International Friendship Fund.

Her vision came to fruition in December and included Peace Camp 2003: An Evolution of Thought and Change and The Global Peace Initiative. Both the Peace Camp and Global Peace Initiative brought people from diverse areas, over 30 nationalities, together in Egypt to discuss issues and reach a better understanding of their unique and individual cultures. Co-hosting this special event was H. E. Suzanne Mubarak, First Lady of the Arab Republic of Egypt, who, because of her dedication to promoting international understanding, People to People International initiated the Suzanne Mubarak Pioneer in Peace Scholarship. Other focuses include the global eradication of landmines and disability issues. In 2001, she negotiated and acquired the People to People Committee on Disability to rejoin the People to People International umbrella. The Committee was operating apart from the original People to People Program since the program became privatized in 1961.

     Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mary’s grandfather, founded People to People on September 11, 1956. After several years of volunteer work with PTPI, Mary has served as its Chief Executive Officer since January of 2000, currently serving as President and Chief Executive Officer. Mary joined PTPI hoping to carry on her grandfather’s dream, now it has become her life’s work and she carries the mission and the founder’s dream ardently as her own.