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Mark O’Brien Takes the Helm at LVVS

Believe it or not, Literacy Volunteers Valley Shore (LVVS)’s new executive director, Mark O’Brien, didn’t initially seek a leadership role with the organization.

“The idea of executive director never occurred to me,” Mark says.

Unlike others who work at nonprofit organizations, Mark came to volunteering late. Mark started volunteering after he published a children’s book, Martin the Marlin, in 2012. He began visiting schools and reading to kids. Mark soon found that he loved the feeling of giving back and kept a look out for new volunteer opportunities.

While looking on LinkedIn in 2015, Mark saw that LVVS was looking for new members to join its Board of Directors. After learning about the organization, Mark was excited to join.

Two year later when the board was looking for a new executive director, Mark says he “perceived a need to put a person in the position who had business and operational experience. Nonprofit and for profit, they’re both business.”

After thinking about the executive director opening and the needs of the organization for a day, Mark decided to toss his name into the ring. When Mark was officially announced as director on March 1, the organization gained someone with experience in the communications and business worlds, along with a strong compassion for giving back. They also got someone who took the road less traveled to get there.

Mark was born and raised in Meriden. Upon graduating high school, he decided to pursue his dream: He joined a rock band. For 10 years, Mark tried make it as a musician, but eventually decided it wasn’t going to happen for him.

Mark said to himself, “If you’re going to get to school, you better do it.”

So, at age 28, it was off to Trinity College in Hartford to study English literature as an undergrad. By the time he graduated from Trinity, Mark was married with two children, Sean and Quinn. Plans for graduate school were scrapped in favor of getting a job.

After spending time as a freelancer, Mark spent eight years working in marketing for Travelers Insurance. After his time in marketing, Mark worked for a public relations firm and an advertising firm both in Avon. In 2004 Mark found his current position when formed his own brand management and marketing company, O’Brien Communications Group. While Mark enjoyed his work, he was still looking for something more meaningful.

LVVS is a nonprofit founded in the ‘70s that provides adult tutoring in English as a second language. LVVS serves the town of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Guilford, Killingworth, Lyme, Madison, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook. Currently, Mark says, there are 200 students from 65 different countries.

The classes are taught by volunteers who receive 14 hours of classroom training.

Of the volunteers, Mark says, “Their commitment continues to amaze and humble me.”

Mark also called the experience of working with the LVVS “simply worthwhile.”

“Helping people regardless of their need is worthwhile,” he says.

Mark can remember the exact moment when he began to believe in the LVVS mission. It was at the group’s annual awards dinner in 2015. In a moment he says that gave him goose bumps because as he says “it wasn’t contrived or rehearsed,” the organization recognized its students who had become new United States citizens that year. Each of the students was given a small American flag, and they all held the flag tightly to their chest.

“People still come here, just like our ancestors,” Mark says of the students who he says came here seeking to build a better life than the one they had in their old country.

Mark says the night gave him an epiphany: He was never going to watch the news again. In Mark’s opinion, the news would never show a scene like the one he just witnessed, and instead chooses to focus on unpleasant or sensational stories.

In his role as executive director, Mark will be charged with dealing with any problems and steering the organization to best address area literacy needs. Like many nonprofits, fundraising is a major component of doing business.

“My biggest and most immediate challenge is fundraising,” Mark says, adding, “It’s a challenge I relish.”

Mark says LVVS is currently working to establish formal fundraising campaigns. Additionally, a whole new website, LVVS.org, has been launched. The website was redesigned to be more user friendly and give a more contemporary appearance.

There is one other activity Mark wants to try in the future: Despite working with people that are multilingual, Mark can’t speak a language other than English. He took German in school, but called himself “a terrible student.”

“I intend to go through the training myself,” Mark says, noting he may even get to the point where he could teach a small class.

When he isn’t working, Mark enjoys cycling, weight training, and reading. He published a second children’s book, titled The One and Only Ben. He’ll be married to his fiancé Anne in June. He also has a number of short stories that can be downloaded on Amazon.com.

Despite working in the communications field, Mark still likes to spend his downtime being creative.

“I can’t not write,” Mark says.