Markus Ahrens joined the Accounting & Legal Studies Department at St. Louis Community College-Meramec in 2001 and currently serves as the department chair. Prior to his teaching career, he worked as an accountant for 15 years. He earned a Master in Business Administration from Saint Louis University and recently completed his PhD coursework at Saint Louis University. In addition, Markus is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a Chartered Global Management Accountant.

Markus is active in service learning and served as a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Site Coordinator for eight years. Furthermore, Markus has received national awards for his teaching and his innovation in the classroom, including most recently, the 2013 AICPA Bea Sanders Innovation Award in Teaching Introductory Accounting Courses. His primary research interests are experiential learning in accounting education and student engagement utilizing technology. In addition, Markus co-founded TeachingandLearningToolbox.com, a free website dedicated to providing educators with up-to-date teaching and learning resources "where technology connects with pedagogy to raise the learning bar."

Currently, Markus serves as a Trustee for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Foundation Board, serves as President for the Two-Year Section of the American Accounting Association, and is the past-chair for the Conference on Teaching and Learning in Accounting. Furthermore, Markus serves on the AICPA Pre-Certification Education Executive Committee. In 2010, Markus served as president for the Missouri Association of Accounting Educators. In addition, Markus is a member of the Teachers of Accounting at Two-Year Colleges, Institute of Management Accountants, Missouri Society of CPA's and the Association of Experiential Education organizations.