Celebrating Our 2024/25 IES Abroad Center Award Winners

At IES Abroad, we take pride in all our colleagues across the globe who create a community that fosters meaningful study abroad opportunities. Center faculty and staff are essential in making our students’ time on-site memorable: while advancing our ideals of academic excellence, these dedicated professionals provide an inclusive and nurturing environment to support our students’ lifechanging experiences, both inside and out of the classroom.

To honor the important contributions of our faculty and staff, we are celebrating three remarkable individuals who embody our mission of educating global leaders and exemplify an unwavering commitment and dedication to elevating the student experience.

Our 2024/25 IES Abroad Center Awards recognize faculty and staff who advance our ideals of academic excellence, embrace curricular innovation, model global citizenship, and create life-changing experiences both inside and out of the classroom for our students. Their passion and leadership inspire both colleagues and students alike, paving the way for the future of study abroad.

The award recipients were selected by nominations from colleagues, students, staff, and faculty at their Centers. With award criteria in mind, nominees were carefully vetted by an IES Abroad Awards Selection Committee with broad membership from across our organization, including representation from AVPs, Center Directors and staff, Academic Deans, and Professors. 

In addition to this significant recognition, they are also invited to attend this year’s IES Abroad Annual Conference in Vienna.

Award for Excellence in Teaching | Dr. Susann Neuenfeldt, IES Abroad Berlin Faculty

This award is given in recognition of dedicated, creative, and inspirational teaching to an instructor recognized by students, peers, and staff as going above and beyond in the classroom. Susann’s courses on German Popular Culture and Contemporary German Film are consistently among the most sought-after at the IES Abroad Berlin Center. Her dynamic, immersive teaching style blends language instruction with real-world engagement, guiding students through Berlin’s museums, theaters, and cinemas to bring German culture to life.

Read Susann's full bio

“She has consistently ranked among our highest-rated faculty, and her courses on German Popular Culture and Contemporary German Film are regularly among the most sought-after at the Berlin Center. Susann is not only a passionate educator with outstanding academic credentials, but also an active figure in Berlin’s vibrant creative scene as a theater director and producer. Her involvement in contemporary theatrical productions offers students a unique, firsthand perspective on current trends in Berlin's innovative theater scene as part of German popular culture. Her students benefit greatly from this creative and professional engagement — particularly when she takes them to screenings and performances across the city that exemplify the very cultural dynamics discussed in her courses.”
Barbara Finke, IES Abroad Berlin Center Director

Faculty Innovation Award | Dr. Diane Atkinson, IES Abroad London Faculty

This award recognizes someone who demonstrates curricular innovation in the content of their courses, their teaching methods, and throughout the study abroad experience in general. Diane's courses, including Living and Dying in 17th and 18th Century London and The History of London, are known for their rich academic depth and engaging, hands-on learning. Her thoughtful integration of storytelling, original research, and field experiences transforms her classroom into a vivid journey through time.

Read Diane's full bio

“...In my tenure at IES Abroad London, no-one has been as consistently admired, lauded and respected as Dr. Di Atkinson. Her knowledge of the subject matter is second to none, and she is always actively engaged in up-to-date and relevant research (and in fact, publishes new and relevant research) that she then weaves into her teaching. She demonstrates the highest degree of professionalism, and is always looking to adopt new technologies and ways of teaching in the classroom; eager to learn new ways of presenting information to all students. She also places utmost importance in representing all voices, angles and perspectives, and has embraced our curriculum review, and inclusive excellence syllabi projects. She works well with staff and faculty, and is always available to help others in her department. She has also tutored Oxford students interested in her subject matter, and is widely admired by all those with whom she works”
John Ockey, IES Abroad London Center Director & Northwest Europe Cluster Dean

Global Good Staff Service Award | Céline Chataing, IES Abroad Paris Head of Student Life and Facilities

This award is given to an outstanding staff member at an IES Abroad Center who has served the organization in invaluable ways, modeling the kind of global citizenship that and dedication to our mission that we hope to see in our students. Since joining IES Abroad in 2008, Céline has led with vision, warmth, and ingenuity, helping students feel at home in Paris while transforming the student experience through improved housing options, student support, and Center operations.

Read Céline's full bio

“Céline’s dedication to our students and to the IES Abroad mission shines through in everything she does. Her commitment isn’t just visible—it’s contagious. She brings warmth, energy, and unwavering positivity to the Paris Center every single day. Her natural charisma and collaborative spirit have made her a cornerstone of the team culture. She is someone who lifts up those around her—students, staff, and faculty alike”
Scott Lyngaas, IES Abroad Paris Center Director & France Cluster Dean

We're proud to be award-winning! From our innovations in alumni engagement to ranking as one of the top study abroad providers several years in a row, check out IES Abroad's most notable awards.

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