Four years ago, Bloch Executive MBA alumnus Mark Amick (‘09) was watching the Republican National Convention (RNC) on TV and thought, “that’s something I’d like to do someday.”
Last month in Cleveland, Mark realized his dream and represented his district as a Texas Delegate to the RNC. He described the convention as an “experience of a lifetime” with all of the traditional convention excitement, plus the spectacle of the roll call and rules dispute, culminating in the attendees coming together around the decided nominee.
Mark has always believed in giving back and finding the time to volunteer despite a busy career. His service has included work with the Kansas City Zoo, the City of Raleigh (NC) Greenway Trail System, and the Kirkland (WA) Heritage Society. Currently, he is serving his second term as the Vice Chair of the Denton County Republican Party. Mark says his time in the Executive MBA program helped to provide a better understanding of the relationship between government and business.
Two and a half years ago, Mark and his wife moved to Texas soon after welcoming their son, Wyatt (now 4), to the family. Recently, Mark participated in Leadership Frisco with the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. As a class project, his class raised $170,000 to create the “Ready to Read Rail Road” – an interactive learning environment within the library that features STEM activities and tips for caregivers to help them educate children between six months and five years of age. His son is an enthusiastic fan of the project.
Mark believes that, “voting isn’t enough, if you want to make a difference – you have to take action” and he encourages others to do the same. Civic engagement is an important leadership activity and one of the four pillars of the Executive MBA program. In the future, Mark hopes to draw on learning from another key theme – innovative mindset – as he considers entrepreneurship among his next pursuits.
