Mark Mitsui became President of Portland Community College (PCC) in August 2016. He is the first Asian American president in the 58-year history of PCC, which educates more than 60,000 students annually and is the largest higher education institution in Oregon.

Mitsui was selected by the Portland Business Journal as an “Executive of the Year” in 2018. He currently serves on The Governor’s Workforce and Talent Development Board, the Portland Business Alliance board, and the Greater Portland Incorporated board. He also serves on the board of the Community College Baccalaureate Association, the Higher Education Steering Council for Second Nature, and the President’s Advisory Council for Phi Theta Kappa. 

Prior to working at PCC, Mitsui served in the Obama administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges in the U.S. Department of Education. In this role, he advanced the President’s and department’s community college agenda through strategic partnerships across federal agencies and with national stakeholders. He also served as President of North Seattle College, Vice President of Student Services at South Seattle College, Assistant Dean of Student Services at Green River Community College (where he was awarded an Exemplary Leadership Award by the Chair Academy), and Director of Student Success at North Seattle College. He entered the community and technical college arena as a teacher at Renton Technical College, where he was awarded an Outstanding Faculty Award in 1994. 

President Mitsui holds a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Western Washington University and completed a master’s degree and doctoral studies in Education at the University of Washington.