Wendy Williamson is the author of Study Abroad 101 (a best-selling student travel guide), and the president of Agapy LLC. Wendy has a BA in Communication and Culture and an MA in Counselor Education: Administration of College Student Affairs. She completed two assignments (four years) with the US Peace Corps in Cameroon and Ecuador, and has been working in the field of Education Abroad since 2001.
Her practical study abroad experience includes four years as a Study Abroad Coordinator and eight years as a Study Abroad Director. As the first Study Abroad Director at Eastern Illinois University (EIU), she developed the office structure, funding model, personnel, website, databases, policies, procedures, programs, and scholarships. During her directorship, EIU consistently ranked #1 for student participation among Master’s institutions in Illinois (source: IIE Open Doors Data). Near the end of her tenure, Wendy successfully developed, defended, and implemented a proposal that added Study Abroad and a Study Abroad Capstone course to the undergraduate curriculum and the university-wide assessment procedures of four undergraduate learning goals: citizenship, writing, speaking, and critical thinking. This was a ground-breaking contribution to the field.
Wendy actively presents at NAFSA, AIEA, and The Forum on Education Abroad conferences, among others. In 2010, she was invited to write a series of articles for The Chronicle of Higher Education:
- 7 Signs of Successful Study-Abroad Programs
- Study Abroad: Revenue Drain or Stream?
- In Study Abroad, Simple is Sophisticated
- The Quest for Collaboration in Study Abroad
As an accomplished international education professional, Wendy provides consulting services in study abroad marketing, programming (design, development, evaluation, and risk management), faculty-led study abroad, curriculum integration, internationalization, office organization & management, policies & procedures, peer-adviser systems & training, reducing costs, improving efficiency, technology, and building a productive team. You can contact her at wendy @ agapy.com.
She is currently working on a new edition of Study Abroad 101, and her first fiction book (spiritual adventure travel) is almost finished. In her past life, Wendy was an accomplished martial artist and instructor. She wrote two related books (Martial Arts: The Christian Way & Christian Martial Arts 101) which are considered to be the “bibles” of Christ-centered martial arts instruction and ministry.
