President / Age 39
Lakeshore Technical College
Paul Carlsen began his working career as a dishwasher at a small, family-owned German restaurant in his hometown of Colorado Springs, eventually going on to earn a master of public policy degree from the University of Denver and a doctorate from the University of Georgia.
A serendipitous meeting at a vacation cookout in 2013 between Carlsen’s dissertation chair, Keith Dougherty, and an employee of the state of Louisiana’s economic development agency proved pivotal: The agency was looking for a good political economist.
“I had the privilege to work for phenomenal leaders who encouraged my growth and development,” Carlsen says.
In his current role at Lakeshore Technical College, Carlsen has led the transition of the institution into a comprehensive community college, securing authority to offer the associate of arts and associate of science degrees, and he aims for the college to offer a bachelor of science in nursing degree.
“The students we teach and support at open-access, two-year colleges are too important for us to not give them our absolute best,” Carlsen says.
Carlsen and his wife, Christina, support the Lakeshore Technical College Foundation and serve on the board of Kohler School, where both of their daughters attend elementary school. At home, Carlsen reads between 40 and 50 books a year, a pace perhaps fueled by the approximately 10 cups of coffee a day he drinks. He’s also a lifelong professional wrestling fan.
