Lauren Ostrowski serves as the Assistant Vice President for Academic Administration in the Office of the Provost. She oversees the strategic planning process and development and implementation of the supporting structure for the various Academic Affairs units. She is also the departmental lead for staffing and resources. Additionally, she manages strategic departmental initiatives and communications to support continuous improvement across Academic Affairs. She currently oversees the Northwest Europe portfolio (Amsterdam, Dublin, and London). She has previously served as Dean for IES Abroad Centers in Africa, China, Germany, and Spain.
Lauren was a Fulbright fellow to Madrid, Spain. While in Spain, her graduate studies research explored U.S. students’ evolving cultural and social identity during and after their study abroad experience. Upon her return to the U.S., she served in various leadership roles in the non-profit education field, most recently working for Teach For America-San Diego as Managing Director, Chief of Staff where she led regional strategy, talent, and operations. Lauren has also taught Spanish and has experience designing and leading international experiences for faculty and students. She rejoined IES Abroad as Program Dean in August 2018.
Lauren earned her B.A. in English-Creative Writing and Spanish from Illinois Wesleyan University and her M.A. in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from Universidad Alcalá de Henares in Madrid. Her professional, personal, academic, and linguistic pursuits have sent her to Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, India, and throughout Europe.