Mark E. Engberg, Ph.D.

Mark E. Engberg, Ph.D., joined La Salle University and its Executive Cabinet in August 2022 as President Allen’s Chief of Staff. Engberg possesses more than 20 years of higher education experience across an array of functional areas, including enrollment, faculty, and administrative leadership positions.

As Chief of Staff, Engberg will coordinate and facilitate La Salle’s strategic planning, execution, and assessment; manage daily operations, including special projects through the Office of the President; guide critical accreditation processes; and work closely with Cabinet colleagues across varied strategic projects, among other responsibilities.

He has served faculty appointments at three universities, most recently as an instructor in the M.S. in Higher Education Administration and Policy program at Northwestern University. He previously was a professor of higher education and associate dean of the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver. At Morgridge, he led the development of new online master’s degree programs, supervised five department chairs, managed accreditation processes, and oversaw special projects for the Dean. Prior to his tenure at the University of Denver, Engberg served Loyola University-Chicago for more than a decade as a full, tenured professor of higher education with a specialization in college access.

Also, Engberg served as senior consultant at Human Capital Research Corporation, an educational consultancy firm based in Evanston, Ill.

An active researcher throughout his career, Engberg focuses his research on global learning and development, and the educational benefits of diversity—specifically affirmative action policy and practices that improve educational access and opportunity in postsecondary education for racially minoritized and low-income students.

Engberg studied at the University of Michigan, from which he earned a Ph.D. in higher education administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics. He also received a master of arts degree in counseling psychology from Northwestern University.