Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich – 10th President of Concordia University, St. Paul
Brian L. Friedrich is the 10th president of Concordia University, St. Paul, officially beginning his tenure on January 1, 2020. A 1979 graduate of Concordia St. Paul, Friedrich is the third CSP alumnus to return to his alma mater as president.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Friedrich served as the tenth President of Concordia University, Nebraska, from 2004 to 2019.
Friedrich held several positions in development and administration at Concordia, Nebraska, from 1991 to 2004. He served as dean of development and college relations in 1993 before being named assistant to the president in 1994. He was appointed vice president for institutional advancement in 1997 and was named Concordia Foundation, Inc. president in 2003 before being named university president in 2004. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary St. Louis (1986) and a PhD in Organization and Management from Capella University (MN; 2005).
Friedrich is a member of the Institutional Advisory Committee of the Concordia University System, trustee of the Mill Neck Family of Organizations board, director of the Minnesota Private College Council and the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference boards, and a member of King of Kings Lutheran Church, Roseville, MN.
He was a director of the Nebraska Independent College Foundation Board, past president of the Seward Rotary Club, past chair of the Lutheran Educational Conference of North America (LECNA) Board of Directors, past director of the Council of Independent Colleges of Nebraska, director of the National Association of the Council of Independent Colleges past member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Council of Presidents, past chair of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Nebraska (AICUN) and past member-at-large of the Association of Lutheran Development Executives (ALDE) Board of Directors. In 2010, he was named ALDE’s Outstanding Executive of the Year.
Friedrich and his wife Laurie, a 1980 graduate of CSP, are blessed with three adult children and two grandchildren.
ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS
- Ph.D., Capella University (2005)
- M.Div., Concordia Seminary, St. Louis (1986)
- B.A., Concordia College, St. Paul (1979)
“What happens at Concordia University, St. Paul isn’t going to be based on my vision. It will be OUR collective vision and the only way we can figure that out is to be in conversation with one another and for me to really listen to those who love and support CSP.”
Concordia St. Paul Presidential History
- Rev. Dr. Brian Friedrich (2020 – present)
- Rev. Dr. Tom Ries (2011 – 2019)
- Rev. Dr. Robert Holst (1991 – 2011)
- Rev. Dr. John Johnson (1989 – 1991)
- Rev. Alan Harre✝ (1984 – 1988)
- Rev. Gerhardt Hyatt✝ (1976 – 1984)
- Rev. Harvey Stoegemoeller✝ (1971 – 1976)
- Rev. William Poehler✝ (1946 – 1970)
- Rev. Martin Graebner✝ (1927 – 1946)
- Rev. Theodore Buenger✝ (1893 – 1927)