Dr. Maria S. Wong is an Associate Dean of the School of Social Sciences, Communication, and Humanities and Professor of Psychology at Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts. A first-generation college graduate and Chinese American woman, Dr. Wong brings a values-driven approach to academic leadership—one ground in trust, inclusion, and collaboration. She believes leadership is about bringing people together to achieve shared goals and creating environments where everyone feels safe, valued, and empowered to thrive.

Dr. Wong was recently selected to join the HERS Leadership Institute, a national program dedicated to advancing women in higher education leadership. Her leadership has been recognized by numerous honors, including Endicott’s “Women of Impact” and “Bright Star” awards, and “Honorary Membership Award” from the National Society for Leadership and Success.

Dr. Wong began her career as a developmental psychologist and rose through the faculty ranks. While at Stevenson University in Maryland, she was honored with the Rose Dawson Excellence in Teaching Award. In the later phase of her faculty career, she focused on faculty development and inclusive pedagogy. She co-edited a two-volume eBook for the Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Incorporating Diversity in Classroom Settings: Real and Engaging Examples for Various Psychology Courses, which includes more than 70 inclusive teaching activities used by psychology instructors nationwide.

Dr. Wong’s research on children’s social-emotional development has been published in journals such as Child Development, Developmental Psychology, Social Development, and the Journal of Family Psychology. She collaborates with leading attachment researchers including Dr. Marije Verhage and Dr. Dagan Or on projects that examine early caregiving, attachment, and child outcomes across different contexts.

As the founder and co-chair of her School’s DEIB Task Force, Dr. Wong has led initiatives that center inclusion and belonging. She also serves on the Board of the American Council on Education (ACE) Women’s Network in Massachusetts, where she chairs the Sponsorship Committee and helped lead a successful campaign to expand presidential partnerships to support women’s leadership across the state.