Mark Parkinson

Mark Vincent Parkinson (born June 24, 1957) is an American businessman and former politician serving as head of the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL).

Parkinson was born in 1957 in Wichita, Kansas, to a family with roots in Scott City, where Parkinson still owns a farm.

Parkinson's father, Hank, worked in advertising, public relations and political consulting.

In 1980, he graduated summa cum laude from Wichita State University.

He married his wife Stacy (née Abbott) in 1983.

They have three children.

Parkinson graduated from Wichita Heights High School.

In 1984, he graduated first in his class at the University of Kansas Law School.

Parkinson won the national moot court championship during law school.

Parkinson immediately entered private practice after graduation.

He was a founding partner of Parkinson, Foth & Orrick in 1986.

Parkinson served in the Kansas House of Representatives from 1991 to 1993.

He served in the Kansas Senate from 1993 to 1997.

The districts he represented included Olathe, Kansas.

During his time in the legislature, he helped write the state's death penalty law.

He also wrote legislation to facilitate the consolidation of the Wyandotte County government.

He stood out for opposing a bill that would have banned flag burning.

In 1996, Parkinson left his law practice to develop elder care facilities in Kansas and Missouri.

His wife was an attorney.

Parkinson declined to run for reelection to the state senate in 1996.

From 1999 to 2003, he was chairman of the Kansas Republican Party.

He secured this role in part from the support of Governor William Graves.

In 2004, he served as chairman of the Shawnee Area Chamber of Commerce, and in 2005, served as the "Chair of the Chairs" of the six chambers of commerce in Johnson County.

In 2006, Parkinson and his wife sold two care facilities in Shawnee.

In May 2006, Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced that Parkinson had switched parties and was her running mate for her reelection campaign, succeeding retiring Lieutenant Governor John E. Moore, also a former Republican who had switched parties shortly before he joined a ticket with Sebelius.

Parkinson's business experience and track record of working with both Republicans and Democrats were the reasons Sebelius stated for choosing him.

As lieutenant governor, Parkinson focused a significant amount of time on energy issues.

He served as co-chairman of the Kansas Energy Council.

He also served on the Wind Working Group.

He served as the 47th lieutenant governor of Kansas from 2007 to 2009 and the 45th governor of Kansas from 2009 until 2011.

He was also a state legislator.

In 2008, Parkinson participated in a delegation of lieutenant governors on a trade mission to China.

As chairman of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Advisory Group, Parkinson helped decide how to spend federal stimulus funds allocated to Kansas.

In March 2009, President Barack Obama announced Sebelius as his nominee for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Sebelius resigned as governor of Kansas following her confirmation on April 28, 2009; Parkinson was sworn in as governor the same day.

Parkinson stated he would not be a candidate in the 2010 election and was succeeded by Sam Brownback.

During his time as governor, Parkinson had to implement spending cuts and tax increases in order to manage a budget deficit.

Under his leadership, the state developed a comprehensive energy policy including net metering, and a 10-year plan for maintaining transportation infrastructure.

Parkinson implemented a smoking ban that included public places; taxicabs and limousines; common areas in public and private buildings, condominiums and other multiple-residential facilities and entries to most buildings.

Parkinson opposed moving detainees from Guantanamo Bay.