The longtime higher education innovator and industry professional said she’s excited to expand access to EMU Lancaster’s transformative learning opportunities and continue building onto the site’s established presence as a trusted educational partner.

“I want people to recognize that we have a gem here,” Mak said. “I feel like we’re kind of hidden, so let’s shine a spotlight on it.”

EMU Lancaster continues to experience growth in its program enrollment and course offerings. Among its recent successful developments:

• The aviation program welcomed another large cohort of students for the fall 2025 semester. Sky-high demand for the program led to a waitlist for the 2025 cohort.
• The site launched an evening Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) cohort, expanding access for working adults and meeting critical needs of the regional health care workforce.
• The Trauma and Resilience in Educational Environments (TREE) program continues to see enrollment growth and is now a fully online asynchronous graduate certificate program.
• The school introduced a new drone certification course, demonstrating its responsiveness to emerging market demands and professional development opportunities. 

Mak said she looks forward to working with the rest of the EMU Lancaster team and the Lancaster community at large to explore new and meaningful partnerships and new ways of delivering innovative and quality educational programs that are relevant to the workforce and professional development needs of the region.

Prior to her expanded role leading EMU Lancaster, Mak helped strengthen the online programs at EMU, particularly at the graduate level. She collaborated with faculty across campus to implement online education best practices, partnered with the Graduate Recruitment Team to enhance prospective student experiences by streamlining website content and lead collection, and worked with the Advancement Team to establish the Online Education Advisory Committee of EMU Alumni, achieving early successes with industry partnerships. 

Before joining EMU in 2024, she served as managing director of the Global Innovation Partnership Program in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems at Drexel University. The program, which she launched, provides valuable remote and in-person educational experiences to students, professionals, and faculty across three continents. 

She holds a doctorate in education with a concentration in higher education leadership and management, a master of science in biomedical engineering, and a bachelor of science in electrical engineering. Each of those degrees is from Drexel University.

Mak has more than 30 years of business executive experience in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries, including serving as vice president of commercialization at Helius Medical Technologies and head of strategy of operations for multiple functions at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

She brings a collaborative and student-centered approach to leadership, along with a deep commitment to EMU’s mission and values. “At the end of the day, I chose EMU because of its values,” she said. “I really like the values of peacebuilding, social justice, community service, and serving with compassion. Those values resonated with me.”

A 2010 graduate of EMU’s bachelor of science in nursing program and a lifelong advocate for high-quality health care, Deibert has held leadership and educational positions throughout central Pennsylvania, including director of nursing at Kadima Rehabilitation & Nursing in Lititz and adjunct faculty at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. Her clinical expertise spans long-term care, maternity, pediatrics, and neonatal intensive care (NICU), positioning her uniquely to lead and grow EMU’s high-performing nurse aide program.

EMU’s nurse aide program, known for its exceptional student outcomes—including a pass rate of 99% skills, 99% on the written portion of the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Competency Exam—continues to meet growing workforce needs in partnership with over a dozen local health care organizations.

As program coordinator, Deibert will oversee curriculum development, student advising, and clinical partnerships, while shaping the next generation of compassionate and skilled nurse aides. “I’m honored to return to EMU and lead a program that equips students with the knowledge, confidence, and heart to serve,” she said. “I look forward to working alongside our community partners to expand access to health care education and meet the needs of our region.”

For more information about EMU at Lancaster’s nurse aide program, visit: