Mark has over twenty-five years of airport administration and operations experience and has served as Executive Director of the Springfield Airport Authority since January 2007. The authority is an independent municipal corporation that owns and operates Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI).
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport is complex of over 2,400 acres that is home to the Illinois Air National Guard’s 183rd Wing, Standard Aero, Stellar Aviation, IDOT’s Division of Aeronautics, various FAA offices, University of Illinois Extension Office, Lincoln Land Community College’s LRS Aviation Maintenance Training Center, Air Combat Museum, and numerous other businesses and organizations. Commercial air service is provided by American Airlines, United Airlines, and Allegiant. Tens of millions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure and facility improvements in recent years and more are planned. The airport provides an annual economic impact of $370.8 million for the community.
Mark has served on the board of directors for the Illinois Public Airport Association for over twenty years and two terms as its board chair. He has earned the Accredited Airport Executive (AAE) and International Aerodrome Certified Employee (IACE) credentials through the American Association of Airport Executives. He graduated from the University of North Dakota with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in Airport Administration and Management, holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Quincy University, and is an FAA licensed private pilot. He is retired from the Army National Guard and a veteran of the Iraq War.
He also serves on the Illinois Advisory Committee for the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition and on the Board of Governors for the Citizens Club of Springfield