I am pleased to introduce you to your new GBSAA President, Mark Totts. Mark is a University of Wisconsin-Parkside Alumni of both the undergraduate and MBA programs, who presently works for Trustmark Life Insurance Company in the role of 2nd Vice President. At Trustmark Insurance, Mark is currently focusing on the transition of three separate group health insurance divisions into one large division. As a change management leader, he has worked to drive transitions within the company focusing on synchronizing processes performed within the three divisions while also synchronizing the products in Trustmark's core group of health products. While leading the transition, Mark is also in charge of managing two key relationships for Trustmark, which sell and administer Trustmark insurance products.

Mark contributes a great deal of his success at Trustmark to his education. He believes that through the MBA program he received practical insight into many areas such as, communication, effective project management, negotiation skills, and leadership. He believes his education gave him the ability to propel his career to the next level. Mark believes that it is imperative for corporations to understand that the University of Wisconsin-Parkside's MBA program offer individuals more than an esoteric overview of theoretical matters that don't improve their bottom line. The University of Wisconsin-Parkside has provided him rather, with practical experiences needed for a successful career. As President of the GBSAA, Mark wants to communicate that message to prospective employers.

Now that Mark has completed his MBA, his personal goals revolve around supporting continued education for his family and community. First, he is committed to helping the GBSAA succeed. Second, he plans to support his wife as she returns to school and completes her degree. Finally, he wants to ensure that his children and other middle and high school students are setting themselves up for a college education to really be able to pursue something that they love and want to spend the rest of their lives doing.

Why Mark decided to run for GBSAA President? He finds the role of President to be an opportunity to lead and motivate the Organization into an effective and influential team.

Being president of the GBSAA gives Mark the ability to help current and future students enjoy their experience by providing them a voice and resource. It also is a chance for all alums and current students to network and strengthen relationships, while continuously building a stronger organization, which can assist in improving our MBA program!