Mark earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in 1985. Mark began his professional career as a commissioned officer in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps. During his 20-year career, he progressed through a variety of assignments with increasing responsibility in Public Works, Construction Contracting and the Naval Construction Force (Seabees). Following retirement from the Navy, Mark moved to Corpus Christi, TX and held the following positions at the City of Corpus Christi: Project manager, Deputy Water Director, Director of Development Services, Executive Director of Utilities and Assistant City Manager for Public Works and Utilities. He retired from the City in January of 2020. Mark obtained his Masters of Engineering (Construction Management) from the University of Florida in 1991. He is a registered Professional Engineer in South Dakota and Texas.
While in the Navy Civil Engineer Corps, Mark taught Facilities Planning and Public Works Management at the Civil Engineer Corps Officer's School in Port Hueneme, CA for two years. He also taught Construction and A/E Contracts for the Defense Acquisition University and developed curriculum for the Facilities Engineering Career Field (FE 201-Online and FE 302). Mark is an instructor at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a focus in the Construction Engineering and Management Program.