Mark co-founded ViaSat Inc. in 1986 and has been Chairman of the Board and CEO since its inception. Mark was recognized as an Entrepreneur of the Year in San Diego in 2000, as the Satellite Industry Executive of the Year in 2003, and received the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Aerospace International Communications Award in 2008. An acknowledged industry expert in aerospace, defense and satellite communications, Mark has co-authored several military standards on satellite networking. He holds a number of patents in communications and satellite networking technologies. A participant on Department of Defense advisory panels, Mark was also invited to testify before a congressional committee on high technology growth companies and IPOs. Universities including Rice, NYU, and UC San Diego have invited Mark to speak about communications technology, entrepreneurship, and executive management. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Rice University and is a member of the Rice University Electrical and Computer Engineering Hall of Fame.