Mark grew up in Salina, Kansas, one of ten children, and attended the University of Kansas on a National Merit Scholarship, receiving a B.S. in Business Administration with honors in 1978. He then moved to Washington to study law, earning his J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 1981.
His legal career spans more than four decades focused on Lewis County, concentrating on business, real estate, land use, and estate planning. Mark also serves as the land use Hearing Examiner for three counties and approximately twenty cities, spanning from Longview to Issaquah.
Mark has a long history of community involvement with local service organizations and charities. He has devoted particular energy to Centralia College, where he is the longest-tenured member of the Foundation board and received the Foundation's "Trailblazer" award in 2011. In 2017 the Governor appointed him a College Trustee, a role in which he is now serving his second term.
Mark has been married to Wendy for more than forty years, and they have two daughters. Away from the office he enjoys backpacking, cycling, and hiking.