Mark received a B.A. from Prescott College in AZ with a major in anthropology. After working as a certified journeyman carpenter in Phoenix for a few years, he attended the Thunderbird School of Global Management and received his International MBA. He then became interested in risk management and worked for Insurance Company of North America (now Chubb) in Philadelphia, Scottsdale, Los Angeles, and Chicago before joining a risk management consulting firm in Dallas as Executive Vice President. He ended his insurance career as the first risk manager of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund and retired after a 39-year career in risk management.

Locally, Mark serves as president of the Durango Mountain Master Association, as well as a member of its Design Review  Board, and as Treasurer of a nonprofit organization, North Animas Village (neighbors helping neighbors remain in their homes).