Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award

Emily Doyle Iland, Arts ’79
Issaquah, Wash.

When Emily Iland’s son, Tom, was 13, he was diagnosed with autism. Emily and Tom, now in his 30s, have used their knowledge about living with autism to serve others. They currently offer innovative education programs to promote the safety and well-being of people with autism and related conditions.

In a program called Experience Autism, they teach police officers ways to interact effectively with community members with disabilities, while the BE SAFE program teaches teens and young adults with disabilities how to interact safely with the police. They also run powerful events that pair trained officers with people with autism to mentor one another and build skills and relationships. “I love this work because I have seen it make a difference in the lives of everyone involved,” Emily says. “I recognized a critical unmet need and created these tools in response.” She gives Marquette credit for fostering her leadership and communication skills and her commitment to service.

Emily came to Marquette with a large group of classmates from Mother McAuley High School, an all-girls college preparatory school in Chicago, and Marquette felt like the right place to continue striving for excellence. She wanted to major in Spanish, so the Marquette in Madrid program was a draw, and “one of the best experiences of my life,” she adds.

She has always seen her professional work as “a mission of faith, leadership, excellence, and service,” she says. “I am humbled and honored to be recognized as someone who embodies these things.”

Fun Facts:

Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.
Barack Obama. We are both from the South Side of Chicago, and it would be amazing to just be in the same room with him.

Name a Marquette faculty or staff member who had an impact on you.
David Herzberger was my first Spanish professor and the director of Marquette in Madrid, so I really got to know him. David was very encouraging and a lot of fun. What is one of your favorite Marquette memories? In 1977, Marquette won the NCAA Basketball Championship. I will never forget the celebrations and partying that went on afterward!

Leave a congratulatory message for Emily!