Gary Withers joined Concordia University as Executive Vice President in 2005. Along with President Church Schlimpert, he co-leads Concordia’s community engagement strategy known as the “Portland Initiative” and serves as a key member and mentor of the Concordia University development team. The Portland Initiative has significantly expanded the role of Concordia University in the community, including the development of the Concordia Teacher Corps and the University’s key partnerships with The Black Parent Initiative (BPI) and many other community non-profits. This new level of civic engagement has also attracted significant philanthropic support including the university’s first individual gift $1,000,000. In his civic role, Gary currently serves as co-chair of The Black Parent Initiative (BPI) and is on the board of Oregon Campus Compact.