Biography

Mary Olea is a Professor within the School of Arts and Humanities at the American Military University in Virginia. She has a background in English and History and is also a Middle Eastern Specialist. A graduate of the University of Michigan and Stanford, Dr. Olea moved from Portsmouth, NH, where she was teaching English Composition and Research at the University of New Hampshire, to Leesburg, Virginia, where she has been teaching British Literature at Heritage High School. Dr. Olea has taught at the American Community School in England, Costa Rica Academy, San Jose, Costa Rica, the Institute for International Studies and Technology at Albert Einstein High School, Kensington, MD, Pescadero High School (CA) and Skyline Community College, San Bruno, California, in the areas of English, History, Economics and Administration of Justice. As a W. K. Kellogg Fellow, Dr. Olea planned and participated in a four-year travel study program that enabled her to visit over thirty countries and regions, including Antarctica, China, Russia, Indonesia and many others. She received Fulbright grants to Egypt, Guatemala and Mexico, plus three NEH grants. Other institutions at which Dr. Olea has studied include Cambridge, San Francisco State University, UC Davis and Georgetown, where she continues to actively participate in the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. She is credentialed to teach English and History in California, New Hampshire, Maryland and Virginia, and continues her world travels with an emphasis on Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Dr. Olea considers herself an Arthurian scholar, a Dickensian, a sports nut and a news junkie. Her writing includes political analysis, travel commentaries and attempts at humor. Her current research involves study of the sources from which Russians learn about the United States.