Concordia Seminary, St. Louis has named two faculty members as interim provost and chief academic officer to serve as the Seminary begins a national search to replace Provost Dr. Jeff Kloha, who will become director of Collections Operations at the Oklahoma City-based Museum of the Bible later this month.

Concordia Seminary President Dr. Dale A. Meyer announced July 12 that Kloha’s duties as provost and chief academic officer will be divided between two current Seminary faculty members until a replacement provost is hired.

Dr. Paul Robinson, professor of Historical Theology and the dean of the faculty, will serve as interim provost. Robinson — whose expertise includes the late medieval church, Martin Luther and the history of preaching — has been a member of the Seminary faculty since 1996. In this role, Robinson will provide guidance to faculty and manage academic administrative matters.

Dr. Joel Okamoto, the Waldemar and Mary Griesbach Professor of Systematic Theology and chairman of the Department of Systematic Theology, will serve as chief academic officer (CAO). Okamoto, an associate professor whose expertise includes contemporary theology, has been a faculty member since 1998. As CAO, Okamoto will provide oversight of academic programs and curriculum.

Robinson and Okamoto will serve in their new roles until a new provost is named. Their teaching and advising roles will remain unchanged during the transition.

The Seminary has retained the Weingarth Group to begin a national search for a new provost, expected to be named in early 2018.

About Concordia Seminary
Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit www.csl.edu.