Mark A. Penn is a native of western Pennsylvania, the fifth of eight children. Mark made the decision to follow Christ his senior year of high school under the dynamic leadership of the late Dr. William B. Richardson of the Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church of Brownsville. Mark excelled in high school and was awarded an academic scholarship into the engineering program at THE Penn State University. It became apparent that the Lord had something else in mind as Mark struggled his first two years of college and then was devastated by a major setback when he had a traumatic brain injury. The injury led to more than a year of rehabilitation and Mark’s educational desires were put on hold. However, during this time Mark wrestled with his life and God’s purpose for it. This resulted in Mark accepting his call to preach and ordination into the gospel ministry of the Baptist denomination. After graduating from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago Illinois Mark began serving God’s people as a Pastor. He pastored the First Baptist Church of Marianna Pennsylvania for three years and the First Antioch Baptist Church of Greensburg Pennsylvania for eight years. During his time in Greensburg Mark got involved in the local high school where many of his young people attended. This led to his pursuit of another degree, a Master of Education degree from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

In 1994 with his Master’s degree in education, Mark moved to Fairfax Virginia to begin a career with the Fairfax County Public Schools system where he served for twenty-five years, twenty two in administration. Mark was involved in ministry at several churches, notably, the Gethsemane Baptist Church of Laurel Maryland, The Covenant Baptist United Church of Christ in Washington DC, Faith Temple of Washington DC and the Ravensworth Baptist Church of Annandale VA. He retired from FCPS on September 1, 2018. In September of 2016, Mark enrolled in the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University in Richmond Virginia and in May of 2019 he graduated with a Master of Divinity degree. Also in May of 2019 Mark relocated to central Florida.

Mark has two adult children, Marquita Denise Penn Blackwell and Adam Tyler Penn. Mark is the proud Pap-Pap to his only grandchild, Joshua. Mark’s life scripture is I Corinthians 15:57-58 which reads, “ But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! So then, my dear friends stand firm and steady. Keep busy always in your work for the Lord, since you know that nothing you do in the Lord’s service is ever useless.” (GNT).