Certified Master Chef Mark Erickson is provost at the Culinary Institute of America. In this role, Chef Erickson oversees all aspects of the college’s academic programs and food and beverage operations.
He is a frequent presenter at industry events and conferences, where he shares unique perspectives of the global food industry, drawing from both academic and practical experiences.
An honors graduate of the CIA class of 1977, Chef Erickson was director of culinary education at the Hyde Park, NY campus from 1988 to 1990. Prior to that, he held both faculty and department head positions at CIA. His career also includes serving as chef garde manger of the Palace Hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland; executive sous chef of the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, WV; sous chef of the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, FL; and executive chef of Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta, GA.
A native of Alexandria, MN, Chef Erickson was a member of the gold medal-winning United States Culinary Olympic Teams in 1980, 1984, and 1988, and part of the U.S. team that won the 1985 Culinary World Cup. He earned Crystal Chef honors by having the highest score in the 10-day Certified Master Chef examination administered by the American Culinary Federation in 1985.
Chef Erickson holds a bachelor of science degree in restaurant & hotel management from the University of New Haven and a master of business administration from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY.