Shadow Politics, July 21, 2019
Shadow Politics with Senator Michael Brown and Maria Sanchez
Guest, Mark Keam
Guest, Mark Keam
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.
Shadow Politics
Shadow Politics is a grass roots talk show giving a voice to the voiceless. For more than 200 years the people of the Nation's Capital have ironically been excluded from the national political conversation. With no voting member of either house of Congress, Washingtonians have lacked the representation they need to be equal and to have their voices heard. Shadow Politics will provide a platform for them, as well as the millions of others nationwide who feel politically disenfranchised and disconnected, to be included in a national dialog.
We need to start a new conversation in America, one that is more inclusive and diverse and one that will lead our great nation forward to meet the challenges of the 21st century. At Shadow Politics, we hope to get this conversation started by bringing Americans together to talk about issues important to them. We look forward to having you be part of the discussion so call in and join the conversation. America is calling and we're listening… Shadow Politics is about America hearing what you have to say. It's your chance to talk to an elected official who has spent more than 30 years in Washington politics. We believe that if we start a dialog and others add their voices we will create a chorus. Even if those other politicians in Washington don't hear you — Senator Brown will. He's on a mission to listen to what America has to say and use it to start a productive dialog to make our democracy stronger and more inclusive. If we are all part of the solution we can solve any problem.
