Mark C. White is the Interim Assistant Dean and Program Leader for University of Illinois Extension’s Community and Economic Development program. In this role, he leads and supports a team of CED educators and specialists, providing assistance and programming enabling Illinois community leaders to make timely and effective decisions, use information wisely, and ensure their entire community works better together. 

For almost two decades, White has helped economic and workforce development practitioners — in states, regions, and communities around the country — make more informed, data-driven decisions about how to move their economies forward and strengthen their area workforce. He is also a clinical associate professor with the department of agricultural and consumer economics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he also teaches an undergraduate course on business and industry data analysis that teaches students to effectively use and understand publicly available data sources.

Prior to joining the University of Illinois in late 2022, White previously served as an associate Extension professor at the University of Missouri, the deputy director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, and the vice president for research at the Arlington, Virginia-based Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in international studies from the University of Miami (FL), a Master of Arts in geography from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Arts in geography from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Originally from western New York, White currently resides in Urbana with his wife Sarah, son Colin, and two dogs — Bruce and Wendy.