Mark joined Odimo this spring, bringing 10 years of design and community engagement experience to our studio. Weaving social, design, and development issues, Mark connects the many facets of a project to create positive impact at the community level.
Originally from South Carolina, Mark completed his bachelors in architecture from Auburn University and moved to Missouri to pursue his masters in Rural Sociology with an emphasis in Community Facilitation at the University of Missouri in Columbia. He then worked for University of Missouri Extension as a Regional Community Arts Specialist and subsequently as a Regional Housing & Environmental Design Specialist. During this time, he learned the importance of bringing together many layers of a project beyond the initial design approach. Working with local communities to address issues unique to their areas, he found himself often blending economics, sociology, and community planning with architecture to creatively solve problems.
Mark brought this foundation in community service to the last 7 years of his work in local and regional architecture, including many housing, commercial office, education and community projects. Accolades for his work include American City and Country’s Crown Communities 2019, Best Project in K-12 Education in the Midwest from the Engineering News Record 2019, Most Beautiful Private School in Kansas from Architectural Digest, 2018.
Guided by Samuel Mockbee’s words that “architecture, more than any other art form, is a social art that must rest on the social and cultural base of its time and place,” Mark believes through collaboration, design can solve not just physical or space problems, but also work to bring people together. We are excited to further our work in housing and non-profit service with his dedication to community impact. Welcome Mark!