Mark Robinson (He/Him) is honoured to live, work and play on the traditional and historic lands of the Snuneymuxw, Snaw-Naw-As and Stz’uminus First Nations people. As a multilingual (中文 한국어 日本語) single parent of three daughters, it is here that he actively raises his two young children who attend school here in Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools, while his eldest daughter is a recent graduate from our district and has since married her soulmate.

Having been raised in Nanaimo, Mark is a former Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools student and brings with him an ample supply of historical context and experience to the school board. 

A long-time community volunteer, Mark began as a student setting up the Malaspina College (Now Vancouver Island University) Foundation’s annual fundraiser Festival of Trees and never looked back. He continued to contribute his time as a young adult volunteering for Canada Day every year, eventually finding himself first as a member of the City of Nanaimo’s working Canada Day Committee, and later as a director on the Canada Day Society. One of his most enjoyable volunteer roles was with the Central Vancouver Island Multicultural Society in such roles as a peer mentor and guest speaker. 

Mark has been enthusiastically active in our school district for the better part of a decade as a member of his children’s Parent Advisory Council (PAC), president/chair of the PAC, served on Nanaimo-Ladysmith’s District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC), and now continues to serve the district as a school trustee on Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools Board of Education as well as the Business Committee, Education Committee, Joint Professional Development Committee, and the Long Range Facilities Plan Committee. 

Mark has also previously held roles on the board of directors for Volunteer Nanaimo, the Nanaimo Family Court committee, Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools now defunct Race Relations Committee as vice-chair, and the City of Nanaimo’s Culture and Heritage Commission. 

In his spare time, Mark enjoys creating new dishes to share with friends and family. When the weather is cooperative, he can sometimes be found with his daughters enjoying the magnificent outdoors in and around central Vancouver Island. His other interests include playing Lego and board games with his children, myrmecology, chess, learning new languages, Wordle, watching movies in their full theatrical experience, and is a supporter of Liverpool Football Club.

Professionally, Mark taught ESL for over 10 years before finding his career calling as an essential worker with NACL (Nanaimo Association for Community Living) as a front-line community support worker.

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