Delegate Mark L. Keam is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, which is considered the oldest law-making body in the New World, meeting continuously since 1619.
His legislative district is entirely within Fairfax County, and includes 85,000 residents living in the neighborhoods of McLean, Tysons, Dunn Loring, Town of Vienna, Oakton, Penderbrook, and Fair Oaks.
In 2009, Mark became the first Asian-born immigrant and the first Korean American elected to any state-level office in Virginia. Since then, voters in the 35th District have returned Mark to Richmond for additional two-year terms.
Over the past decade, Mark has authored dozens of state laws that impact the quality of life for Virginians, such as improving public education and healthcare, creating innovative tech sector and environmental jobs, supporting military veterans and public safety, reforming tax codes and business regulations, and providing more government transparency, accountability, and efficiency.
A recognized leader on technology and innovation issues in the General Assembly, Mark serves on the House Commerce & Labor Committee, Finance Committee, Education Committee, and Agriculture, Chesapeake & Natural Resources Committee.
He is a member of the special Joint Subcommittee on Coastal Flooding and the Joint Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences. As a co-chair of the Virginia Legislative Tourism Caucus, Mark also works with the Fairfax County Sports Tourism Task Force.
Mark maintains a reputation as an effective bipartisan policymaker and has received awards and recognitions from a wide spectrum of organizations, including Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Education Association, League of Conservation Voters, The Sierra Club, Humane Society, and Commissioners of the Revenue Association of Virginia.
Professionally, Mark has three decades of experiences in both the private and public sectors. On the commercial side, Mark has been an entrepreneur, an in-house counsel with a Fortune 15 technology company, the head of a national Asian American chamber of commerce, and an independent business consultant.
As a member of the bar in two states, he has practiced law in the executive and legislative branches of federal and local governments, including serving as chief counsel to a United States Senate Assistant Leader.
Active in the community, Mark has helped start or worked with dozens of nonprofit organizations that focus on his passions, including civic engagement, serving immigrants and minorities, developing youth leadership, and promoting literacy and lifelong learning.
He currently serves on the boards of Virginia Literacy Foundation, University of Virginia’s Thomas C. Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, George Mason University’s Virginia Serious Game Institute, Northern Virginia Community College Educational Foundation, New American Leaders, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice AAJC.
Mark is a member of Rotary Club of Vienna, Optimist Club of Greater Vienna, Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce, Vienna Business Association, McLean Citizens Association, Leadership Greater Washington, Vienna Arts Society, Historic Vienna, Inc., and Vienna Presbyterian Church.
He is also active with the NewDEAL Leaders and BMW Foundation World Responsible Leaders programs.
Mark was born in Korea and lived in Vietnam and Australia before moving to America as a teenager. He received a political science degree from the University of California at Irvine and a law degree from U.C. Hastings College of the Law.
Mark and his wife Alex reside in Vienna and have two children in public schools.
