Mary Sullivan Esseff, Ph.D....

President and Director...

Education...

• The Catholic University of America, 1972: Ph.D., Educational Technology, Washington, D.C.
• George Washington University 1970: MA Education Studies, Washington, D.C.
• Lehigh University, Summer, 1965: Master's of Education Studies, Bethlehem, PA
• Chestnut Hill College: AB, English Literature, Philadelphia, PA, 1965
• Georgetown University, Summer 1964: German Studies, Salzburg, Austria
• Penn State University, 1962-63: Undergraduate Studies, University Park, PA
• Maryland School of Art and Design, 1974-75: Art Studies, Takoma Park, MD

In the almost forty years since Peter and Mary founded Educational Systems for the Future^®, Mary has been ESF's Director. In 1992 when they incorporated, Many became President. In a small company such as theirs, that means that both do just about every job that needs to be done. Mary does these jobs and many more:

• Writes training materials, including designing, editing, creating the layout, and selecting and/or creating graphics
• Oversees secretarial and professional staff and consultants
• Co-manages ESF's finances
• Co-conducts workshops
• Works with clients on-site and at our home-based office
• Ensures quality control of the materials and products we produce for ourselves and for clients
• Writes proposals
• Designed ESF's software applications TaskOutliner, and StyleDoc
• Designed and updates ESF's website

Mary says: "My greatest gift as Director is that I almost always see the whole picture immediately.

My greatest limitation (yes, we all have at least one in life, and this is mine) is that I expect everyone else to see the vision as quickly as I see it (a rare happening).

However, as everyone who has worked with me can attest will attest, I patiently and painstakingly strive to bring everyone up to speed with a rare tenderness that would make Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta proud." [Peter, you can stop laughing now!]

The second of seven children, Mary was born in Philadelphia, PA. In 1964, she went to Salzburg, Austria to study German between her junior and senior years in college. There, she met Peter Esseff... and the rest is history.

Mary knew immediately that he was the one for her. They carried on a friendship through letters and visits. As a member of the Woodstock Jesuit Singers, Peter sang on the Ed Sullivan Show, Christmas, 1964. Mary was in the audience. In 1965, a year before ordination, he left the Jesuits and they married January 29, 1966 in one of the biggest snow blizzards that Washington, D. C. had ever witnessed.

After spending a year as a Biographic Analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, Mary, at Peter's behest, stayed home to raise their first child, Jeanne Marie. During those years, while Peter was working on his doctorate in Instructional Technology at CUA, Mary was breathing in all the information he was so excited about. After Peter received his degree in 1969, Mary began her doctoral studies and received her Ph.D. in the same field in 1972. During that time, Peter and Mary founded Educational Systems for the Future^® and had their second child, Alice Cecelia, now a Nashville Dominican. In 1977, their third child, Peter Timothy was born.

They feel truly blessed to have such beautiful loving children and grandchildren.

Dr. Esseff enjoys and is active in many diverse organizations. These include the following:

• Teams of Our Lady
• • 2000-Present: Team Member
  • 2001-2003: Tampa East Sector Couple
• The Esseff Foundation for the Arts, Tampa, FL
• • 1993-2000: President of the non-profit organization. Galleries, individual artists, or individuals have donated all work.
  • Mission: To support artists in a variety of artistic expressions from the visual and dramatic arts to music and dance.

• Chestnut Hill College
• • 2005: Selected as Charter Member of the Libris Society to honor alumnae over the past eighty years who exemplify the motto of the college: Fides (Faith), Caritas (Charity), and Scientia (Learning)
  • 1999: Donated Free Spirit sculpture to college
  • 1997: Co-facilitated Technology Workshop to determine how CHC could get involved in Distance Learning in association with WHYY, PBS Channel 12, Philadelphia, PA.
  • 1997: Co-facilitated brainstorming session with CHC Spirituality Department and well-known consultants in the spirituality field to write a grant proposal on how Spirituality can interrelate with the Medical Model.
  • 1996-1998: Alumnae Board, Baltimore Area Representative
  • 1973-1975: Alumnae Board. Conducted first survey of alumnae; constructed survey instrument, collected, analyzed, and interpreted data for final report to be used for evaluation.

• Designed & Was General Contractor for Estate Property, Dayton MD
• • 1988-1990: Worked with architect to design 12,000 sq. ft. home/office
  • Oversaw the construction of home and office
  • Selected all elements of house from architectural design, layout, "Smart House" wiring, network wiring for computers both in home and office, lighting and heating to interior fixtures, flooring, and decor; decorated interior of house
  • Oversaw exterior gardens including an celebratory Sculpture Garden containing a bronze sculpture, "Free Spirit", by renowned artist Caryl Picker

• Art Collector and Virtual Gallery Curator of Arts-Galleria.com
• • Arts-Galleria.com provides a venue for emerging artists, and
  • Offers for sale a collection of renowned and emerging artists' works.

• Writing: In addition to the many training books published by ESF Press, Dr. Esseff has also published several works of non-fiction and fiction including:
• • Publications: Non-Fiction
  • • Amazing Grace: Journal of a Breast Cancer Survivor: Presented to readers via e-mail distribution, 2001.
• • Publications: Fiction
  • • Love Made Visible, a short story published in the anthology: Three Naked Ladies Playing Cellos, DamnYankee.com, 2000; Placed 3rd in Preditors and Editors Poll, January 2001 in Best Short Fiction Category
    • Love Made Visible Readers Guide, ESF Press, April 2000.
    • Santa Came Ballet Slippers
    • Play Santa

• Phi Delta Kappa, University of Maryland Chapter, Professional Educational Association
• • 1978-1979: President (First Woman President of U of MD Chapter)
  • 1974-1978: Held several offices including First Vice President, Newsletter Editor. created NEWSKAPPS a professional-quality chapter newsletter; Recording Secretary; Reservations Chairman
  • 1973: One of the first women inducted into formerly all male professional fraternity.

• Travel
• • Traveled extensively for business and pleasure: US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Europe, Australia
  • Our most recent trip in August 2008 was a cruise from Vancouver, B.C. through Alaska's Inside Passage, to Whittier with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and Sitka. We stayed a few additional days in Anchorage and ended the trip with a flight to and within Mt. McKinley, the highlight of our trip.
  • In 2007, we made two trips to that wonderful land of my ancestors, Ireland. The first trip was a gift from our dear friend Margaret Brack where she conducted the Sacre Voce Choir in four venues including theShrine of Knock where choir member Peter sang the solo "Our Lady of Knock." It was quite inspirational.
  • The second Ireland trip was to conduct our IDLS workshop for a group of Schering-Plough trainers from many European countries: Ireland, France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Spain, and Belgium. Needless to say, we had great fun as well as many challenges. But we overcame all obstacles and each participant learned the IDLS process. We love working among all these great people from so many cultures. And being in Ireland was again a treat for us.