IAMSCU elected Adriana Murriello as its first female President. The General Assembly of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges, and Universities (IAMSCU), met in John Wesley’s New Room in Bristol, United Kingdom, on April 30, 2023. President Tom Wolfe (United States) chaired the session and Dr. Rosemary Nyarugwe (Zimbabwe) presented the report of the IAMSCU Nomination Committee, which had been meeting in previous months, reporting to the IAMSCU Board of Directors, and consulting with participants of the IAMSCU Conference in order to evaluate the nominations, consult the nominees, prepare a list of candidates, and submit a slate to be approved by the IAMSCU General Assembly.
The IAMSCU Nominating Committee is formed by Dr. Sergei Nikolaev (Russia), Dr. Ken Yamada (Japan), Dr. Rosemary Nyarugwe (Zimbabwe), Dr. Gerald Lord (United States), and Lic. Adriana Murriello (Argentina), who recused herself and did not participate in the selection process because, as IAMSCU’s Vice-President, she was being nominating to the presidency. The work of the Nominating Committee was overseen and certified by the IAMSCU Executive Committee and the IAMSCU Board of Directors. The IAMSCU General Assembly accepted the Nominating Committee report and voted unanimously to elect the new leadership of the association for the 2023-2026 term. We celebrate the election of Adriana Murriello as the first woman to occupy this position in the 32 years of IAMSCU’s history. The first President was Dr. Roger Ireson, United States (1991-2001), followed by Dr. Rukudzo Murapa (2001-2008), Dr. Ted Brown (2008-2014), Dr. Marcio de Moraes (2014-2017), and Dr. Tom Wolfe (2017-2023).
Adriana Murriello was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a degree in Education, specializing in Secondary and Higher Education from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). She started her career as a teacher in Primary Education and Rural Education; she later dedicated herself to teaching and pedagogical assessment in Higher Education, including work with faculty and students in Education, Psychology, Economics, Engineering, Medicine, and other areas. She earned a Postgraduate Degree in Education Administration and worked for government agencies, including such the Buenos Aires City Government, the Argentinean Ministry of Education, and the Doing Democracy Project, an international research group working on citizenship, democracy, and transformative education.
In 2002, she joined Colegio Ward, a centenary Methodist school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, starting with the Teacher’s Training College, then taking over the Office of Institutional Development, and becoming Ward’s President in 2007. She has served as member of the Board of Directors of the Latin American Association of Methodist Educational Institutions (ALAIME), a member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and Universities (IAMSCU), and was elected IAMSCU’s Vice-President in 2018. Adriana Murriello has also worked as editor and director of various publications, being herself author of articles and academic publications. She is now the President of IAMSCU and is transitioning to this role in conversation with Tom Wolfe, who will remain active as IAMSCU’s Past President. The new IASMCU President will be providing continuity to the association as well as developing new programs and approaches for the near future. She will soon communicate with the the new IAMSCU community and share about her plans.