Defend 13, LLC specializes in providing strategic advisory security services focused on enhancing resilience for individuals and organizations. Its comprehensive portfolio includes expertise in counter-threat mitigation, executive protection consulting, and risk mitigation strategies.

Before founding Defend 13, LLC, Mark served as the Chief Safety and Security Designee for Baylor University. He was responsible for the executive leadership and management of the Department of Public Safety, encompassing all operational university law enforcement, safety, and security branches, including the Police Department, Physical & Technical Security, Emergency Management, and Global Safety & Research Security.

Mark brings extensive knowledge and experience from his tenure as a Deputy U.S. Marshal in Miami, Houston, and Dallas. His duties included safeguarding the federal judiciary, supporting the Witness Protection Program, and contributing to high-threat operations within the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the U.S. Marshals Service. Additionally, he provided international instruction to foreign counter-terrorism personnel through the U.S. State Department’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATA) and taught protective operations at the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in El Salvador.

In his subsequent role as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service from 1996 to 2014, Mark operated across various locations, including Dallas, Washington, D.C., Crawford, and Waco, Texas. He led critical protective operations for U.S. Presidents and foreign dignitaries, notably providing close protection, logistical support, and security advances for President George W. Bush within the Presidential Protective Division. He also served as a Team Leader for the Counter Assault Team (CAT), offering tactical operational support to the Presidential Protective Division. Mark's federal law enforcement career encompassed over twenty-six years of supervising and conducting diverse criminal and protective intelligence investigations.

Following his service in the Presidential Protective Division, he became the U.S. Secret Service's training coordinator for Protective Detail Training (PDT), where he prepared presidential candidate protective details for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign.

Mark retired from the U.S. Secret Service in 2014 as a Supervisory Special Agent. He holds a Master of Criminal Justice from Boston University and is recognized as a Master Peace Officer and School Security Consultant in the State of Texas.

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