Mark retired from the Berkeley County Farmland Protection Board where he served as executive director for 8-1/2 years. During his tenure, Mark placed over 3,600 acres on 34 properties into permanent conservation easements. He created the Impact Fee program in Jefferson County, and oversaw the county budget for 5 years prior to his work with the Berkeley County Farmland program. In addition, Mark also does field work for other land trusts, and has authored over 90 easement documentation reports for properties in the Potomac watershed in West Virginia.

Mark and his partner have restored three 18^th or 19^th century stone houses, and presently live on 48 acres of permanently protected land in Jefferson County. He received his Ph. D in Plant Physiology and Development from the University of Maryland in 1988. He began his career as one of Maryland’s youngest Park Naturalists, at Assateague Island State Park, starting in 1974. He recently completed a goal of visiting all 55 West Virginia counties by motorcycle.