Mark Schauer
Employer: BlueGreen Alliance
Graduation Year: 1984
Current Position: National Co-Chair of Jobs 21!
Biography:
Since his graduation from Albion in 1984, Mark Schauer’s focus has been on serving the local community. He began his career in public service as the Executive Director of the Community Action Agency of South Central Michigan, overseeing many programs to help the area's children, seniors, and people most in need. In the early 1990’s Mark ventured into the world of elected office, serving as a Battle Creek City Commissioner, State Representative from 1997-2003, and State Senator from 2003-2009, where he served as Democratic Leader. In 2003 he was named “Public Official of the Year” by Habitat for Humanity of Michigan.
In 2008 Mark was elected to the US House of Representatives. Serving Michigan’s seventh district (which includes Albion), he sat on the Committee on Agriculture as well as the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
In 2011 Mark was named by the BlueGreen Alliance as national co-chair of Jobs 21!, a grassroots campaign to create clean energy jobs in the 21st century. The BlueGreen Alliance unites the labor and environmental movements toward winning the global competition for clean energy jobs, protecting the environment, and making the United States more energy independent. In addition, Mark serves the Laborers’ Union and their contractors in helping them build renewable energy projects in Michigan.
Mark has been a staunch advocate of Albion College, the Ford Institute, and the Operation Bentley program. He has hosted many Ford students as interns in his office and is a regular presence on campus. For students looking to become effective public servants, Mark recommends that they should “be willing to work hard and pay your dues. Pay attention and learn from others. Be a servant leader and remain true to your ethics and values.”
Besides Albion College, Mark also attended Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. He serves on the boards of Michigan League of Conservation Voters, Michigan-Israel Business Bridge, American Rights at Work, and the Battle Creek Family YMCA. Mark and his wife Christine have three grown children and three young grandchildren. They live in Battle Creek, where they own the small retail business My Style Your Style.
"I can't overstate how important the Ford Institute was to my intellectual and personal development within my Albion College experience. The relationships I built and the public service perspective I gained are firmly with me today."