Mike Holtzclaw ’87
2022
L&C Alumni Leadership Award
Watch the Alumni Honors Celebration 2023!
Mike has over 27 years of experience in higher education. In 2022, he was named chancellor of the University of New Mexico at Los Alamos. Mike has stayed involved with L&C as a volunteer, and he is a former member of the Board of Alumni and Board of Trustees.
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Mike grew up in Grants Pass, Oregon, and he was the first person in his family to attend college. Mike has over 27 years of experience in higher education, and he has a deep gratitude to community colleges for the vital role they play in student achievement, equity, and social justice.
During his first year at L&C, Mike applied to an overseas program in Costa Rica. This exposure to another culture permanently shaped Mike and it has influenced his entire career path. While at L&C, he was a resident advisor in Copeland and Hartzfeld Halls, a campus tour guide, a work-study student at the switchboard and language lab, and a varsity football player. Mike was also involved in the yearbook, and he participated in four overseas programs to Costa Rica, Hungary, the Soviet Union, and Indonesia.
Upon graduating, Mike was hired as an assistant dean of admissions at L&C. After that, he moved to Taiwan to teach English. He later earned his master’s degree and PhD in geography at Ohio State University.
As a first-generation college student, Mike knew he wanted to work at a college that served underrepresented students who often do not have a clear path to higher education. He joined the faculty at Central Oregon Community College (COCC) and taught geography there for 13 years. Mike went on to become an instructional dean at COCC in 2010. In 2012, he moved to the Bay Area to be the dean of science, engineering, and mathematics at Ohlone College. Eventually Mike became senior dean of Diablo Valley College at San Ramon and vice president of instruction at the College of San Mateo. In 2022, Mike was named chancellor of the University of New Mexico at Los Alamos.
Mike has stayed very involved with L&C. He was a volunteer for the former Alumni Coordinator for Enrollment (ACE) program; a member of the Board of Alumni for 10 years, including a period as president; and is a former trustee on L&C’s Board. He is married to alumna Sarah (Lowell) Holtzclaw BA ’88, and they have three children.
Alumni is located in Alumni Gatehouse on the Undergraduate Campus.
MSC: 77
email alumni@lclark.edu
voice 503-768-7950
fax 503-768-7920
Assistant Vice President for Engagement
Stephen LeBoutillier ’00