
Mary K. Boyd, Ph.D., President of Emmanuel College
Mary K. Boyd became Emmanuel’s 13th President in August 2022. Known for her vibrant intellect and outgoing spirit, she is leading wide-ranging and collaborative efforts to ensure the thriving of Emmanuel’s Catholic educational mission, making the most of the College’s location in the heart of Boston and its spirited and supportive community.
Dr. Boyd’s distinguished career in academic leadership includes service at Catholic and mission-driven institutions such as Berry College, the University of San Diego, and Loyola University Chicago. Over the years, she has displayed a remarkable versatility, embracing responsibilities spanning fundraising, enrollment, student life, budgeting and finance. As a result, she possesses a strong, interdisciplinary commitment to academic program innovation and to promoting a student- and learning-centered educational environment.
At Emmanuel, Dr. Boyd plays an energetic role in campus life and is dedicated to working with faculty to advance the College as a dynamic center of ideas and discovery. In a special way, she is focused on celebrating and stewarding the College’s Catholic identity and the vision of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who opened Emmanuel in 1919. True to Emmanuel’s values, she fosters an open and inclusive environment in which people of diverse backgrounds and faith traditions are honored, welcomed and invited to discern the unique roles they will play in building a better world.
An eminent chemistry professor, Dr. Boyd is highly published across prestigious research publications in chemistry. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto and served as a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Dr. Boyd and her spouse, John Quinn, have two adult children and reside in Boston’s Fenway neighborhood.