Mark L. Walker (born 1947/1948) is a Democratic member of the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

for the 27th district. The district, located in the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

, includes parts of Arlington Heights,

Hoffman Estates Hoffman Estates is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 52,530. The village previously served as the headquarters for Sears and is one of the American headquarter ...

Des Plaines Des Plaines () is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after t ...

, Mount Prospect,

Rolling Meadows Rolling Meadows is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 24,200. History In 1836, Orrin Ford became the first landowner in the area that is now Rolling Meadows, stak ...

, Barrington,

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

Palatine A palatine or palatinus (Latin; : ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman Empire, Roman times.

, Prospect Heights and South Barrington. He previously served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

, representing the 66th district from 2009 to 2011 and the 53rd district from 2019 to 2024.

Biography

Walker served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and during his service was awarded a

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

. He later became a senior executive as

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

, including heading worldwide credit card operations. He then went into consulting at Walker Information; providing business expertise to various firms. He has also been a soccer coach and member of the Arlington Heights Park District Foundation board, and has co-chaired the Northwest Suburban Veterans Advisory Council. He has also worked with homeless organizations, and on community housing redevelopment. Mark Walker has a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

and a master's degree in culture change from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Electoral career

In 2008, Walker defeated Republican candidate and Elk Grove Village trustee Christine Prochno to succeed outgoing Representative Carolyn Krause. He served a single term during the 96th General Assembly. Walker was defeated in the 2010 general election by Republican David Harris who preceded Krause in the Illinois House. After Harris retired, Walker announced his intention to run for his seat. He defeated Republican nominee Eddie Corrigan and took office January 9, 2019. Walker is also the Democratic Committeeman for Wheeling Township. In May 2024, Walker was appointed to the

to replace former District 27 senator Ann Gillespie.

Illinois House of Representatives

Committees

As of 2022, Walker serves on six House committees and one subcommittee: *Financial Institutions committee (Chairperson) *International Trade & Commerce committee (Chairperson) *Economic Opportunity & Equity committee *Insurance committee *Revenue & Finance committee *Small Business, Tech Innovation, and Entrepreneurship committee *Sales, Amusement, & Other Taxes subcommittee

Legislation

While representing Illinois' 53rd House district, legislation introduced by Walker that went on to become law includes HB3865, which requires any company or individual advertising veterans' benefits appeal services to disclose in the advertisement that such services are available at no cost by county veterans service officers, among other provisions.

Electoral history

References

External links

Representative Mark L. Walker (D) 66th District
''official Illinois General Assembly site''
BillsCommitteesMark Walker for Illinois State Representative
''official campaign website'' *
Rep. Mark Walker
at Illinois House Democrats {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Mark L. 1941 births Brown University alumni Democratic Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Democratic Party Illinois state senators Living people Military personnel from Illinois People from Arlington Heights, Illinois 21st-century members of the Illinois General Assembly