Dr. Mark Wahlers
Provost and Chief Operating Officer
Concordia University, Portland, OR
Mark Wahlers serves as Provost and Chief Operating Officer at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. Dr. Wahlers joined the university in 1991 after completing 13 years as a professor of English and administrator at Concordia College in Austin, Texas. Dr. Wahlers holds a BA degree in Education from Concordia College, Seward, Nebraska. He received his M.Ed. degree from Portland State University and earned a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Wahlers directed Pacific Rim operations for Concordia University in Tokyo, Japan from 1991-1995. He has traveled and worked extensively in Asia and speaks conversational Japanese. From 1995-2000, Dr. Wahlers provided leadership in Student Services and Enrollment Management at Concordia. During this period of time, retention improved 14% and new student recruitment increased 68%.
Mark Wahlers is married to Yoshino Okaniwa and the father of two girls, Nicki (12), and Maggie (10). He has two younger brothers and one younger sister all of whom live in California. His parents are Art and Carol Wahlers both retired, professional educators. He lives in Portland, Oregon and enjoys golf, basketball, jogging and reading.