Mark leads DPI’s Community Education – Pritzker Tech Talent Labs unit, which is focused on building a deeper and more diverse tech talent pipeline in Illinois. This includes building programs and partnerships that advance systemic alignment in computing and data science education for K-14 students and educators.
Previously, he served as the President & CEO of the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC), a member-driven statewide nonprofit that measures, connects, and advocates for the Illinois innovation community. He also led the creation and growth of the affiliated Illinois Science & Technology Institute (ISTI), which runs impactful education programs that connect companies and universities with high school youth through research and problem-based learning. Mark also served as deputy chief of staff for the State of Illinois, was an associate director for the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and served in senior positions at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).
Mark holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree from the University of Chicago. He serves on the board of the Albany Park Theater Project, is a founding member of the Steering Committee of the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition, and is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago. Mark is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Illinois Chicago Department of Public Administration. Mark is Chilean-American and is fluent in Spanish.