MARK’S priNCIPLES

INTEGRITY

ALL our citizens should be confident that their elected leaders are committed to working in the best interests of the people who elected them and not working for personal gain. The foundation to gaining the public trust is rooted in integrity. My upbringing taught me right from wrong and instilled a desire to always do right. At the Naval Academy, I lived within the USNA Honor Concept, which boiled down to a simple statement of expectation - a Midshipman does not lie, cheat or steal. I try to live to this high standard every day and I am committed to doing right for my community.

DIVERSITY

I am an engineer and engineers are problem solvers. When tackling any problem, I have learned that if I am working with people like me when looking for potential solutions, the solutions discussed tend to be similar to my own ideas, which limits the opportunity to find new and fresh solutions. On the other hand, when surrounded by problem solvers who are not like me - young folks, or women or people from a different background, race or creed, the ideas to solve the problem are as diverse as the team and the problem solving conversations generally lead to better solutions. Diversity is a strength, not a liability and we can leverage the diversity in our community to tackle and solve our toughest problems..

collaborating to lead

I learned during my 32 years wearing a Navy uniform and in the ten years I have served in industry since, that leading effectively requires a collaborative spirit. No one accomplishes anything of importance alone - in the shipyard, it was a team effort; in the Pentagon many differing agendas were in play; in business, the customer is always right. I have been an effective leader in all these environments by:

1) listening carefully and asking questions to ensure we understand the problems we are trying to solve

2) encouraging those closest to the problems to offer their ideas for solving the problems

3) simplifying the problems and their solutions as much as is reasonable to effectively fix things and

4) gaining consensus to pursue the solutions together - everyone pulling in the same direction.

AWARD-WINNING LEADERSHIP

Throughout my professional career I have been in positions of leadership. I don’t take the mantle of leadership lightly, as I recognize lives and livelihoods of those I lead depend upon me leading well. My professional library is filled with writings about leadership - good and bad - and I have been a student of leadership in order to constantly add tools to my leadership toolbox. Below are some team achievements during my time in command at Norfolk Naval Shipyard:

• Senate Productivity and Quality Award from Virginia Senators John Warner and George Allen

• Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command Installation Excellence Award

• Secretary of the Navy Energy Conservation Award

• Chief of Naval Operations Environmental Management Award

Additionally, in 2003 while commanding Norfolk Naval Shipyard, I was awarded the FranklinCovey Principle-Centered Leadership Award.