Mary Burns

In 1984, Mary Burns began her career in education in Kingston, Jamaica, where she faced the challenge of teaching French to 35 secondary-school students in just eight months. Despite the initial difficulties, her love of teaching and her appreciation for the role of scientific methodology in education led her to spend a decade teaching in very different settings, from Boston to the Texas–Mexico border. That early experience as a novice teacher ultimately inspired her to focus on improving teacher training.

Over the past two decades, she has worked tirelessly to expand access to high-quality professional development for teachers around the world, from Russia to Namibia. She has led innovative programs in Indonesia and contributed to the development of educational technology plans in places such as Lebanon. Her commitment to empowering teachers is evident in every project she takes on. Her influence has also reached students worldwide through her book on best practices in online teacher training. Although the educational landscape has improved in many ways, Mary firmly believes in the need for teacher-centered professional learning and continues her work inspired by the dedicated educators she encounters along the way.

With several ongoing research projects on instruction, professional development, educational technology, and teacher education, Mary is also a prolific writer, with nearly 300 publications to her name. These include the book Distance Education for Teacher Training: Modes, Models, and Methods, edited by the Education Development Center, where she worked for more than 25 years. She is currently a visiting professor at the Escola Superior de Educação de Paula Frassinetti in Portugal.