Chris Monsere
Vice Provost for Faculty Success
monsere@pdx.edu | 503.725.9746
Chris Monsere, has served Portland State University since 2003. Before serving as Associate Dean in MCECS, he was chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering from 2014 to 2021 and has served in many departmental, college, and university roles, including as a member of multiple bargaining teams and as a faculty senator. He received his doctorate and master’s in civil engineering from Iowa State University and a bachelor of civil engineering from the University of Detroit Mercy. He is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Oregon, and before joining Portland State University, he held engineering positions at the Oregon Department of Transportation.
Amy Mulkerin
Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning
amulk2@pdx.edu | 503.725.2277
Amy Mulkerin joined PSU in February 2021 as Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning. Amy has spent her career providing strategic financial leadership in a mission-driven context. She enjoys developing processes that align the use of financial resources with the delivery of the strategy and mission of the university. As Vice Provost for Academic Budget and Planning, she oversees the strategic budget management of the units within Academic Affairs.
Michele Toppe
Vice Provost for Student Affairs
toppem@pdx.edu | 503.725.4422
Michele Toppe, Ed.D., has worked in higher education for over 30 years and has been at Portland State University since 1995. While at PSU, Michele created resource centers for veterans and students with children, installed and overseen the residence life program, advised student government and fee committee, planned major events such as New and Transfer Orientation, commencement and Party in the Park and managed numerous complex student issues, including student conduct, academic appeals, and student crises. As Vice Provost for Student Affairs in OAA, she oversees Student Affairs, which includes the Center for Student Health and Counseling, Campus Recreation, Student Activities and Leadership Programs, University Housing and Residence Life, and the Office of the Dean of Student Life (DOSL). DOSL includes a portfolio of campus life programs, including the Basic Needs Hub, Queer Student Services, Services for Students with Children, Women's Resource Center, Student Conduct, and the C.A.R.E. team, PSU's behavioral intervention, and crisis response. Michele completed her doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania in Higher Education Management in the spring of 2017.
Erica Wagner
Vice Provost for Student Success
elwagner@pdx.edu | 503.725.4059
Erica Wagner, Ph.D., is a data-informed and human-centered leader who is interested in having difficult conversations and building authentic community. Erica formerly served as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and professor of management in the School of Business (SB) Department at PSU. Prior to her employment at PSU in 2009, Erica was an assistant professor at Cornell University. She earned her Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. As a Vice Provost of Student Success, Erica coordinates and provides strategic leadership for the university’s efforts in support of student success. She plays a critical role in overseeing and implementing the university-wide student success initiative – Students First – with particular emphasis on increasing retention, graduation rates, student engagement, and curricular effectiveness. Erica oversees Advising and Career Services, the Learning Center, and the Office of Student Success. In her free time, Erica enjoys reading, spending time with her daughter and husband, and traveling.
To see the scope of Erica's leadership in Student Success, view the Student Success Organization Chart.