Mark Russell joined the OAWU in the spring of 2000.  Prior to OAWU, Mark managed a breakfast restaurant and several fast food restaurants for 30 years in Oregon and Washington.
 

Mark grew up on McNeil Island in Puget Sound and in Steilacoom, Washington. All his relatives live in the Willamette valley, so summers were spent picking strawberries, black caps, and beans and visiting cousins.

When he married Janet, they moved to Oregon. He has 2 married daughters, one son, and 2 granddaughters. He plays hand-bells and enjoys singing in the choir at church, gardening, camping, and driving his Mini Cooper. He and Janet live in West Salem, OR.  

He graduated from Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting in 2010.

Recently, in July of 2010, they visited their 3 foreign exchange students in Belgium, Germany, and Italy. (other countries visited were France, The Netherlands, and Austria)

They fell in love with Italy and hope to return again in a few years. He highly recommends everyone put a Vacation to Europe on their "bucket list".