Meet the International Wine Center team, a group of wine and spirits professionals who are dedicated to making the learning experience as positive as possible for IWC students. When you visit IWC to register or to take your course, please say hello and let them know how they can help you.
Mary Ewing-Mulligan, CWE, MW
President, Instructor
Mary Ewing-Mulligan, Master of Wine, is a leading wine educator, columnist, and author. She was the first woman in America to become a Master of Wine, a title that represents the highest level of knowledge and proficiency in the wine trade. She is currently one of only 60 Masters of Wine in the U.S., and 421 in the world.
Michael Ahlborn, DipWSET
Academic Programming Manager, Instructor
Michael Ahlborn has been part of the International Wine Center team since 2010. He administers the WSET Level 4 Diploma program at IWC, guiding students through the complex set of courses and exams that the program entails.
Paula Maia, DipWSET
Senior Manager of Operations
Paula is the Senior Manager of Operations at International Wine Center. With over 25 years in the hospitality industry, Paula has completed her WSET Level 3 Advanced with Distinction and the WSET Diploma Level 4. Paula has also formal training in culinary arts and holds a certification from the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners-ICIF.
Susan McCall
Student Services Manager
Susan McCall is a CIA-graduate and holds a WSET Level 3 Award in Wines & Spirits. Originally in international marketing and advertising, Susan gravitated towards the food and beverage industry throughout her career before deciding to go pro at the nation’s leading culinary university; there she was able to consummate her love of wine, completing coursework on the subject and buttressing her theory by participating in harvests at local New York wineries. Now, Susan is working on her WSET Diploma while helping other students of wine along their own journeys.
Evan Poholchuk
Classroom Services Coordinator
Evan Poholchuk is a WSET Diploma candidate who assumed the role of Classroom Services Coordinator at International Wine Center in 2024, after having completed both his Level 2 and Level 3 Awards in Wines with Distinction at the school. With a background in language education, Evan lived and worked as an English teacher in Burgundy and studied education at the Teachers College. He now marries this experience with his passion for wines in the role of a wine educator, while also continuing his lifelong journey as a student.
Dave Rudman, DipWSET
Partner, Managing Director
Dave Rudman joined IWC in 2025 as Partner and Managing Director. Previously, he worked for Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), where he served as Global Business Development Director and a member of the organization’s Leadership Team. Since 2017, he held several leadership positions at WSET, including Executive Director for both WSET Americas Inc. and WSET Asia-Pacific Ltd.
Before WSET, he was Director of Education at Brescome Barton, one of the country’s largest wine, spirits, sake, and beer distributors, where he also established the company as a WSET Approved Program Provider. Rudman earned his WSET Level 4 Diploma from IWC in 2019, and additionally holds WSET Levels 2 and 3 in Spirits, Levels 1 and 2 in Beer, and Level 1 in Sake. He earned an MBA from the Yale School of Management in 2019 with a concentration on Sustainability.
