He has 20 years of experience and prior to joining Grant Thornton worked at a big four firm. Some of Mark's specific service capabilities include: • Advising clients in all areas of employee benefits, including particular experience in the areas of defined benefit pension plans, ESOPs, 401(k), 403(b) and 457(b) plans, general welfare benefits and fringe benefit matters, including design, ERISA compliance, administration, vendor searches, annual reporting returns, compliance diagnostic reviews and self-correction processes. • Compensation benchmarking, executive compensation, equity compensation plan design and compliance, incentive compensation plan design and IRC section 409A compliance design/review • Interaction with the IRS and the Department of Labor to resolve examinations and notices in relation to employee benefit plans • Re-design and restructuring of HR processes and benefits (pension, health care, leave administration, etc.) to achieve efficiencies and manage liabilities. This has included freezing or terminating defined benefit pension plans, involving PBGC and related regulatory issues. • Human resources integration planning, design and support, including comparative benefits analysis, plan mergers/terminations, health care cost containment, plan re-design and vendor selection/coordination Industry experience Mark has worked with organizations in such industries as K-12 public schools, tax-exempt organizations, insurance, banking, natural resources, manufacturing, healthcare, and utilities. He is a long-standing member of the AICPA Tax Division's Employee Benefits Technical Resource Panel. Education Mark received his B.A. in Political Science and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Kansas. He received his LL.M (Taxation) degree from the University of Missouri/Kansas City, and is a graduate of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University. He has published articles on benefits topics in numerous professional journals and is a frequent speaker on benefits topics