Mark Funkhouser

Publisher, Governing. Former Founding Director, Governing Institute; Chair, International Center for Performance Auditing; Principal, Mark Funkhouser Speaks; Former Positions with the City of Kansas City, Missouri: Mayor, City Auditor; Adjunct Instructor, University of Kansas; Adjunct Instructor, Graduate School of Public Affairs, Park College; Instructor, Government Audit Training Institute, U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School; Advisor, Legislative Services Commission, State of Ohio; Consultant, State Auditor's Office, Commonwealth of Kentucky; Director, Performance Audit Group, Division of State Audit, State of Tennessee; Assistant Professor, Human Services, Salem College; Former Positions with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Consultant-Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor-Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation; President at Funkhouser & Associates.

Mark Funkhouser's professional journey reads as a rich tapestry of leadership and public service. Once the Publisher of Governing and the Founding Director of the Governing Institute, he also chaired the International Center for Performance Auditing and led as Principal at Mark Funkhouser Speaks. His career in municipal government was especially distinguished during his time in Kansas City, Missouri, where he served first as City Auditor and later as Mayor. Alongside these roles, he shaped minds as an adjunct instructor at the University of Kansas and at Park College’s Graduate School of Public Affairs, and provided pivotal training at the Government Audit Training Institute, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School. His expertise was sought by various government bodies, including as an advisor to Ohio’s Legislative Services Commission, a consultant for the State Auditor’s Office in Kentucky, and Director of Performance Audit for Tennessee’s Division of State Audit. Early in his career, Funkhouser’s commitment to the public good shone through his work in Pennsylvania, where he consulted for the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee and served as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. As the president of Funkhouser & Associates, his enduring dedication to governance and civic improvement continued to make a lasting impact.