15th Class, 2008-2009
Field Placement: Vermont Campaign to End Childhood Hunger (Burlington, VT)
Mark interviewed local sponsors of the summer food program about their best practices to help increase participation in ruralVermont. He also conducted a price assessment of the USDA’s Thrifty Food Plan at local grocery stores.
Hunger Free Community Report:
The Thrifty Food Plan and Food Costs in Vermont reports that 3SquaresVT (the state name for the federal SNAP/food stamps program) benefits were insufficient for families to buy low-cost, nutritious food at grocery stores in northern Vermont.
Policy Placement: Families USA (Washington, DC)
Mark surveyed credit counselors and state attorneys general as part of a medical debt project. He wrote a fact sheet and consumer guide on medical debt and wrote various fact sheets to inform the health care reform debate.
Pre-Fellowship Education and Experience:
A native of Ohio, Mark graduated from Ohio University with a degree in political science and sociology and wrote an honors thesis on welfare reform. He served as a tutor at a local middle school, as a volunteer at the regional homeless shelter, and as a research scholar for the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. He also interned with the Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development and with Policy Matters Ohio.