Leadership
Welcome to Mount Marty University! For over 80 years, we’ve focused on preparing students for a contemporary world of work, service to the human community and personal growth.
Mark Brown is the 12th president of Mount Marty University. He began his tenure in 2026 as the university turned 90. His early focus has been on strengthening the university foundation prior to its 100th birthday to create an opportunity for the university community to dream big together and create a vision for the next 100 years of Mount Marty.
Prior to joining the Mount Marty community, President Brown spent over 30 years in administrative and faculty roles in higher education. Concurrently, for the past 20 years, he also served as an executive in the biotechnology industry.
A native of Texas, Brown attended Dallas College as a LeCroy Scholar and then earned his B.S. in resource management at Colorado State University. Brown also holds an M.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and microbiology from the University of Texas. He completed postdoctoral research related to congenital heart defects at the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Austin and later served as a molecular oncologist at the Colorado State Cancer Center in Fort Collins.
Before moving to South Dakota, Brown ran a cow-calf operation as a family hobby on their small ranch in northern Colorado. He and his wife, Alicia, have two young boys who are active in 4-H, scouting, and a range of sports.
Dr. Mark Brown — President
Dr. Katie Harrell — Vice President for Student Success & Title IX Coordinator
Lori Read — Vice President for Finance and Administration & CFO
Dr. Nicholas Shudak — Dean of Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Danielle Pierotti — Vice President of Health Sciences, Chief Nursing Officer, Associate Professor of Nursing
Dr. Bill Miller — Executive Vice President and Provost
Joanna Mueller — Assistant to the President & Executive Vice President and Provost
Dr. Barb Rezac — Vice President for Mission and Community Engagement
Andy Bernatow — Athletic Director
Greg Franz — Vice President for Enrollment Management
Becky McCune — Vice President for Technology
Lane Speirs — Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives