Speakers

I have been a volunteer firefighter for the City of Mequon for the past 10 years, serving our community there and through Rotary gives me great satisfaction. I have participated in the Guatemala Medical Resources Project (GMRP) mission for 8 years and service on the Board of Directors for the Oliveras Scholarship Fund (OSF), a group that provide education scholarships to students on the tow that GMRP operates.

I live with my best friend and confidant Jen DeLaura. We share interests in water sports, health & wellness, gardening and music, I have two daughters, Taneal (35), who lives in Greenfield with my two grand daughters, Mila (8) and Ava (6), and my younger daughter  Hannah (16) whom many of you know. She is a sophomore at Homestead HS who lives part time at my home and part time at her mothers home in Cedarburg. She just got her drivers temporary license, so look out for her on the roads…

Outside of the office, I enjoy pleasure sailing, sailboat racing, surfing and stand up paddle boards, scuba diving, motorcycling, and live music. I enjoy giving back through Rotary and the Fire Department, but my role as a father and grandfather is the most rewarding.

President Erik Ankerberg’s professional resume includes nearly 15 years of experience in leadership positions at Lutheran higher education institutions. Within this time, Dr. Ankerberg has led academic operations for three separate universities: as provost for Concordia University Chicago and Concordia University Texas, and as assistant provost at Wisconsin Lutheran College. He also served as interim president for Concordia University Chicago in summer 2019.

Prior to his tenure as a provost, he was a department chair and held faculty positions at Wisconsin Lutheran College. He also taught at Concordia University Ann Arbor and Concordia University Wisconsin early in his career.

He holds a Ph.D. and Master of Arts in British Renaissance Literature from Marquette University and earned his bachelor’s degree from Concordia University Chicago. His research interests include aesthetics and the intersection of early modern literature and theology. He is currently pursuing pastoral ordination within the LCMS.

Dr. Ankerberg and his wife, Jennifer, have been married for 27 years. Jennifer is a literacy educator in the River Forest public schools. They have two sons: Peter, who is completing graduate work in architecture at the University of Michigan, and David, who is studying psychology at Valparaiso University.