Friday, November 15, 2019
Gary Friesen 
Gary Friesen leads Innovative Education International’s programs, bringing hope and opportunity to students in under-resourced areas of the world. Gary graduated from Taylor University in 1975. He earned an M.A. in mathematics from Miami University of Ohio, and from 1977-1984 taught math and coached basketball at a public Indiana high school. In 1984, he and his wife, Janet, moved to the Philippines, where they served for 12 years at a mission school. The family returned to the U.S. in 1996, and the following year, Gary accepted a position at Taylor University, where he served as director of academic technology until 2014. In June 2014, Gary joined Ambassador Enterprises, the company that helped launch IEI as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in April 2015. He has traveled to Liberia more than 20 times.
Taylor University Chapel 