Mark’s story doesn’t begin with a corner office. It begins with curiosity, a genuine interest in how people learn, grow, and work together. He pursued education not as a credential, but as a calling, building a foundation rooted in organizational development, leadership, and the belief that when people thrive, businesses do too.

That belief became the quiet force behind everything he touched.

Over nearly three decades, Mark moved through the staffing, consulting, and technology worlds not chasing titles, but answering challenges. Wherever things were complex, fragmented, or uncertain, Mark seemed to arrive at exactly the right moment. And somehow, calm followed.

He brought order where there was chaos.

He united teams that didn’t yet know they belonged together. He steadied organizations during difficult markets and helped others grow when the path forward wasn’t obvious.

From leading national and global operations to guiding companies through expansion, reinvention, and change, Mark had an extraordinary ability to see what mattered most, often before anyone else did. Not because he talked the loudest, but because he listened the best.

And while his résumé could tell you where he worked, it wouldn’t tell you what people really remember.

They remember the leader who could walk into a room and instantly understand the real issue.

The mentor who asked the right question instead of giving the easy answer.

The coach who saw potential people hadn’t yet seen in themselves,and quietly helped them rise to it.

People describe Mark as perceptive, steady, strategic, compassionate, and remarkably clear. A leader who didn’t just build organizations, he built confidence. He didn’t just manage teams, he elevated them.

Mark didn’t define success by numbers on a page. He defined it by people leaving a conversation stronger than when they entered it.

And then there’s the line everyone here knows, the one that sums him up better than any job description ever could:

“If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

It’s more than a saying. It’s how Mark lived: with humility, humor, flexibility, and the wisdom to know that the best outcomes often come from staying open to what unfolds.

Tonight, we’re not celebrating the end of a career. We’re celebrating a legacy, of leadership grounded in humanity, of impact measured in people, and of a life spent making complex things clearer and people better.

Mark, your next chapter doesn’t need a plan. Because if the past is any indication, it’s going to be meaningful, unexpected, and exactly right.

And for all the lives you’ve shaped along the way!

Congratulations Mark!