Mark Dawson, Assistant Director of Business Services at Penn State Berks, will graduate with his daughter, MacKenzy Dawson, this December. Mark will earn an associate degree in Business Administration and MacKenzy will earn a bachelor?s degree in Business with a dual concentration in Accounting and Finance and a minor in Entrepreneurship.
This is Mark?s second degree from the college; he earned an associate degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State Berks in 1999. He has worked as Assistant Director of Business Services at the college for the past six years, and states that he wanted to earn his associate degree in Business to advance in his career path. He credits his daughter, MacKenzy, with motivating him to complete his degree at Berks. The father and daughter took several courses and studied together, and both made the college Dean?s List.
When Mark wasn?t busy working or studying at the college, he found time to act as co-coach to the college rugby team, leading them to the National Small College Championship in 2010. After graduation, Mark is considering enrolling in the Penn State Berks Accelerated B.S. in Business degree program and eventually the Penn State Berks MBA program offered through Penn State Great Valley.
During her four years at the college, MacKenzy played for the college soccer team and was a Lion Ambassador. Recently, she completed an internship at Wert Investment Consulting Group of Wells Fargo Advisors. She plans to go on to law school after graduation.
MacKenzy is one of Mark?s six daughters. Her older sister, Cassidy, graduated from Penn State Berks in December 2012 with a B.A. in Applied Psychology, and her younger sister, Zoey, is a first-year student at Penn State University Park in the Engineering program. In addition, three other sisters (triplets), English, Hunter, and Dakota, are juniors in high school.
Mark resides with his wife, Donna, who holds a doctorate in education from Widener University and is employed as a reading specialist in the Wilson School District, and six daughters in Shillington, PA.