Mary Jean Eisenhower

Mary Jean Eisenhower
Mary Jean Eisenhower at the Military Child of the Year Awards Gala in 2013
Born	(1955-12-21)December 21, 1955 Washington, D.C.,U.S.
Occupation	Chairman ofPeople to People International
Spouse	James Brewton Millard
Children	1
Parents	John Eisenhower Barbara Jean Thompson Eisenhower

Mary Jean Eisenhower(born December 21, 1955) is an American humanitarian. She is thechairmanemeritus(and formerpresidentand chief executive officer) ofPeople to People International.She is a granddaughter of GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower,34th President of the United States.

Early life

Mary Eisenhower was born in Washington, D.C., during her grandfather's first term and christened inthe Blue Roomof theWhite House.She grew up onEisenhower estateinGettysburg, Pennsylvania,where President Eisenhower retired after leaving office. Ms. Eisenhower attendedSchuylkill Consolidated Schoolin fifth grade andWesttown Schoolin Pennsylvania until her father,John Eisenhower,was appointedUnited States Ambassador to Belgium.She lived inBelgiumfrom 1969 to 1972. Eisenhower began her career working onCapitol Hilland then managed an engineering firm. She also has served as aFellowatStanford University.

In 1973, Mary Jean Eisenhower was presented as a debutante tohigh societyat the prestigiousInternational Debutante Ballat the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. All of her sisters and many other members of the Eisenhower family have been presented as debutantes at the International Debutante Ball in New York City.

Work with People to People International

Eisenhower has worked to develop and expand the mission ofPeople to People International.She became the chief executive officer of People to People International in January 2000 and its president in 2003. Eisenhower served as chief executive officer until June 2013. She currently holds the title of chairman emeritus. In February 2016, Eisenhower resumed her position as CEO of People to People International and President in October 2016.

During her work with People to People International, Eisenhower visitedMoroccoto represent her family to the King on the 50th anniversary of the Casablanca Conference. She also traveled to the beaches ofNormandyto meet many of the veterans who served with her grandfather on theD-Dayinvasion. In the last six years, Eisenhower has left United States soil over 70 times and visited over 40 countries. Missions have ranged from meeting first families to distributing foodstuffs in developing countries to cultural and humanitarian exchanges.

Inspired by an orphanage she visited in Morocco, Eisenhower launched the People to People International Friendship Fund in 1999. The Fund is designed to enable individuals to support the service-oriented facilities they visit throughout the world and to provide a mechanism through which the network of PTPI Chapters can assist one another. Today, the fund has supported causes ranging from the Global Humanitarian Eradication of Landmines,Children's Mercy HospitalinLondon,England,United Kingdom,earthquake relief inIndia,disaster relief to victims ofSeptember 11 attacks,and their families, support of under resourced schools inChinaandSri Lanka,a home forleukemiavictims and their families inCuba,to a library project inVietnamand the Friends of Egypt organization. One hundred percent of all funds received by the International Friendship Fund are allocated in support of the projects specified by donors.

After theSeptember 11 attacks,Eisenhower became intently focused upon bringing young people from around the globe into contact with one another in order to expose them to diverse cultures and conflict management tools that might facilitate the amelioration of long-standing disputes. Her vision came to fruition with Peace Camp 2003: An Evolution of Thought and Change and the Global Peace Initiative. Both the Peace Camp and the Global Peace Initiative brought participants from over 30 nationalities together inEgyptto discuss contemporary issues and gain nuanced insights into the varied and unique cultures represented among the participants.Suzanne Mubarak,formerFirst Lady of Egypt,co-hosted this event.

People to People International filed for bankruptcy on March 22, 2022, in Missouri Western Bankruptcy court.

Personal life

Mary Jean Eisenhower and Army 2nd Lt. James Brewton Millard married in May 1976 at a private military ceremony in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, attended by her grandmother, former First LadyMamie Eisenhower.Her son is Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, who became chief operations officer and then chief executive officer of People to People International in 2018.

Awards

Eisenhower has been awarded the Knight of Peace Award from the International University inAssisi, Italy.She also holds Honorary Doctorates in Humane Letters fromSchiller International University,Park UniversityandWilliam Jewell College.She also holds anHonorary Doctoratein Law fromYork College,in York, Nebraska. She was awarded theMedal of Honor from the Slovak Republicas well as Friendship Ambassador from the People's Republic of China, The Award of Excellence from theConsular Corps,Membership in theOSS Society,among others.

Family tree

Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) Mamie Doud (1896–1979) Richard Nixon (1913–1994) Pat Ryan (1912–1993) Doud Eisenhower (1917–1921) John Eisenhower (1922–2013) Barbara Thompson (1926–2014) Edward Cox (1946–present) Tricia Nixon (1946–present) Julie Nixon (1948–present) David Eisenhower (1948–present) Fernando Echavarría-Uribe Anne Eisenhower (1949–2022) Susan Eisenhower (1951–present) John Mahon Mary Eisenhower (1955–present) Ralph Atwater Andrea Catsimatidis (1989–present) Christopher Cox (1979–present) Anthony Cheslock (1977–present) Jennie Eisenhower (1978–present) Alex Eisenhower (1980–present) Tara Brennan (1979–present) Melanie Eisenhower (1984–present) Adriana Echavarria (1969–present) Amelia Eisenhower Mahon (1981/82–present) Merrill Eisenhower Atwater (1981–present)