Mark Obrien

Background

About Mark Obrien

Combining a unique capacity for deep analysis, strategic thinking, and bringing out the best in others, I am a proven and ethical leader with nearly two decades of experience in aligning policy, practice, and people to successfully achieve ambitious goals that make life better for people and communities. Leveraging my background in law, policy, social science, and systems innovation, along with my keen insight into group dynamics, I excel at guiding collaborations to uncover practical solutions to seemingly intractable problems. As an experienced speaker, trainer, and educator, I am also a skillful communicator with a knack for making complex issues and information engaging and accessible for all stakeholders. I'm a natural convener with a history of leading diverse coalitions and partnerships, where character, follow through, and influence were as essential to my leadership as formal titles or authority. My greatest professional satisfaction comes from supporting individuals and groups to harness their inherent strengths, especially in times of adversity. While my past work has primarily focused on criminal justice and substance use disorder, I enjoy working with mission-driven organizations wherever human dignity and flourishing communities are at stake.