Mark Kownick was elected Mayor of the Village of Cary in 2013. A 33-year resident of Cary, Mark owns a small business in town and is an active community volunteer and leader.

Mark serves in a number of leadership roles that have helped him better serve the people of Cary. In addition to his 12 years as Mayor where he has retained Cary’s small-town charm while transforming it into a thriving community, he serves as Vice President of the Illinois Municipal League Board of Directors and of the McHenry County Council of Governments, is an Executive Board Member of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, and sits on the Steering Committee for the Cary Main Street Fest, a celebration of the Cary community he initiated in 2014.

He previously served 2 years as a Village Trustee, and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Northwest Municipal Conference and as an Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Directors for the Cary-Grove Chamber of Commerce.

Mark is the President and CEO of a facilities services company in Cary. He began as a Sales Manager for the company in 1988, worked his way up to Vice President, and took over as CEO in 1998. He previously held sales positions in several well-known companies, including Gillette and L’Oreal Cosmetics. Mark attended Harper College before earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Marketing, Advertising, & Journalism from Southern Illinois University.

Involvement in his community has always been a priority for Mark. He has been a parishioner and active volunteer in his parish, Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Cary, since 1992. He co-chaired and served as Lay Director for the Christ Renews His Parish program and volunteered for their PADS program. He has also been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 2000.

Like many in Cary, Mark is involved in a number of community organizations. He has served on the Executive Board of Directors for the Cary Soccer Association, where he also coached for 12 years and was Co-Director of the Shepard-Schleisman Tournament for 3 years. He also coached for Cary Youth Baseball for 4 years and has volunteered for the Cary Grove Booster Club for over 10 years.

Mark has been married to Shannon for 37 years. She is a retired elementary school teacher in Arlington Heights where she still continues to work part-time in the library. They have three children, Matthew (33) is a mechanical engineer, Kaitlin (31) is an elementary school teacher, and Christopher (27) is a mechanical engineer, and they are expecting their first grandchild in June. All his children attended Cary schools and graduated from Cary Grove High School. They enjoy a number of activities with family and friends, including boating and water sports on local waterways, snow skiing, and cheering on local sports teams.