Mark Kennedy Shriver (born February 17, 1964) is a United States Democratic Party politician who served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for two consecutive terms, from 1995 to 2003. He currently serves as the Vice President and Managing Director of US Programs for the charity Save the Children. Shriver is married and has two children.

Background

He is part of the Kennedy political family since his mother is Eunice Mary Kennedy. He may also be considered to be a part of the "Shriver political family", since his ancestor David Shriver was a delegate of Frederick County, Maryland who signed the Maryland Constitution and Bill of Rights at Maryland's Constitutional Convention of 1776, and his father is Sargent Shriver, the founder of the Peace Corps, a former ambassador to France and the 1972 Democratic Vice Presidential candidate.

Shriver earned a bachelor's degree from the College of the Holy Cross in 1986, and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University in 1993.

Career

From 1989 to 1994, he was a member of the Maryland Juvenile Justice Advisory Council. Staring in 1991, he also served on the Board of Directors of the Public Justice Center. From 1991 to 1992, he served on the Maryland Governor's Task Force on Alternative Sanctions to Incarceration. From 1994 to 1995, he served on the Maryland Governor's Commission on Service.

In 1995, he was elected as to the Maryland House of Delegates, the lower house of the Maryland state legislature, representing Montgomery County, Maryland, District 15. He was reelected in 1999.

In addition to serving as a delegate, he worked on the Task Force on the Maryland Prepaid-Tuition Savings Program in 1996, and on the Task Force to Study the Governance, Coordination, and Funding of the University System of Maryland from 1998 to 1999. He was a Founder and Executive Director of The Choice Program, an at-risk youth intervention project of the Shriver Center at University of Maryland Baltimore County established in 1998. He then served on the Advisory Board on After-School Opportunity Programs from 1999 to 2003. From 2000 to 2001, he served on the Judith P. Hoyer Blue Ribbon Commission on Early Child Care and Education.

In 2002, he ran for U.S. Representative from the 8th Congressional District of Maryland, but was defeated in the Democratic primary by Chris Van Hollen, the eventual winner.

Awards and Honors

• Honorary Doctorate, Loyola University, 1994.
• Legislative Sponsor Award, Maryland Children's Action Network , 1999, 2000, 2001.
• Environmental Leadership Award, Maryland League of Conservation Voters, 1999, 2000, 2001.
• Leadership Award, Maryland Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, 2001.
• Award of Excellence, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 2002.
• Outstanding Legislative Leadership Award, The Arc of Maryland, 2002.

External links

• Curriculum vitae at Maryland legislature
• Biography at the Trust for Early Education
• Ancestor David Shriver