Mark Heckler, president of Valparaiso University, is at Holden for the first time. He came to Valparaiso in 2008 from the University of Colorado, Denver, where he had served as chief academic officer and, before that, as founding dean of the College of Arts and Media; professor of theatre, film and television; and UC Denver’s coordinator of the International College at Beijing. As an actor, director, and designer, he has over 100 theatrical productions to his credit, with performances across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Mark’s fifteen minutes of fame came when he originated the title role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat prior to its Broadway run.
Mark and his wife, Veronica, grew up together in Windber, PA, where both were members of the high school marching band. During those long trips on the band bus, they fell in love. They are the parents of four children. Mark grew up in the Church of the Brethren, Victoria in the Russian Orthodox Church; when they married, they chose to join a congregation that is now part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. They have been active in ELCA congregations ever since.