Mark V. Erickson, CMC, MBA

Mark Erickson, CMC, MBA, is Vice President-Dean of Culinary Education at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). In this role Erickson is responsible for all aspects of the college's culinary programs including degree programs, professional development, consulting, intellectual property development and conferences, as well as the college's department dedicated to menu research and development. He also oversees the CIA's branch campuses in St. Helena, CA and San Antonio, TX. Erickson is a frequent presenter at various 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 campus from 1988 to 1990. Prior to that, he held both faculty and department head positions at the 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. 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 ten-day Certified Master Chef examination administered by the American Culinary Federation in 1985. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Restaurant & Hotel Management from the University of New Haven and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY. (Napa Valley, CA, San Antonio, TX and Hyde Park, NY)