RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
MARK HATCHER’S STORY OF PERSEVERANCE Mark Hatcher, Esq. is an easily recognized face within the state of Ohio and beyond. Known not only for his talent and professionalism as legal counsel, but also for many acts of civic engagement and philanthropy, Mark has dedicated much of his personal and professional life to servicing the community. He is the current Managing Partner for the Columbus, Ohio Office of BakerHostetler, a national full-service law firm with over 1,000 attorneys and 18 offices from coast to coast. At Baker, Mark has an active corporate law practice where he advises companies on issues related to mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and real estate acquisition and development. Additionally, he chairs or sits on the leadership / advisory boards for several Ohio-based nonprofit organizations and is the chairman of the Board of Trustees for Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, the only state-supported historically black college / university in the state.
applied to The Ohio State University and was accepted into their engineering program in 1993. Soon after enrolling however, Mark had a change of heart and realized that engineering was not his forte.
With so many noteworthy accomplishments to his name, it is difficult to imagine that Mark was ever unsure of the direction he wanted his life to go. According to Mark however, this was exactly the case in his younger days and he gives both the faculty at TU and several other important teachers and mentors credit for pushing him to be the best version of himself.
“I’m forever grateful to the folks at TU,” said Mark. “I received my Master of Science degree in criminal justice from them to better prepare me for law school. For several reasons, my grades as an undergraduate didn’t reflect what I was truly capable of, so I did this, in part, to prove to myself that I had the chops needed to succeed at such a high academic level.”
Mark grew up in Detroit on the west side of the city and was educated through the Detroit Public School District. Like many K-12 students, he was aware that he had a talent, but didn’t yet know how to put it to good use and work to his potential. Thankfully, he had a healthy support system both at home and through his many wonderful teachers, with one of particular importance.
Since Mark enrolled before the existence of fully online graduate programs, he had to budget his time wisely in order to commute to and from campus while also working full-time. Thankfully, the flexibility of TU’s program and compassionate instructors allowed Mark to thrive.
“I decided to change my major to criminal justice,” he explained. “Growing up, I never had the chance to venture too far outside my immediate community, which was fairly homogenous. When I moved to Columbus, it was the first time in my life I gained exposure to the world outside my bubble, and I realized that I was at a disadvantage, as I had not had many opportunities to engage with people from backgrounds different than my own. I also became keenly aware of the inequities that exist in society with many people from underserved urban areas. I made a commitment then to dedicate my life to being a part of the change I was seeking.” Mark graduated from OSU in 1997 with a degree in criminal justice and immediately secured a job working as a probation officer for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. He quickly realized that those seeking to better themselves postincarceration are often met with a lack of resources needed to make said changes, and saw the need for reform. This was why he decided to pursue a graduate degree through TU – so he could secure a role that would allow him to impact these policies.
“My mother, herself was a middle school teacher, so she always nurtured my fondness and talent for writing,” he said. “My 10th Grade Honors English teacher, Ms. Herter was also a big inspiration to me and encouraged me to refine my talents. It was really because of her that I discovered my talent for writing and desire for my eventual career to center on writing. In retrospect, I was lucky to have a mentor like her since so much of what I do today requires high-level and technical writing. I’d be in trouble if I didn’t start my training early,” he said with a laugh.
“I definitely had to prove I was dedicated,” Mark remembered. “I would carpool to campus from Columbus with a few people in the program every Saturday. It was tiring, but I don’t regret it for a second, especially because it only further proved to me that I was able to handle such an intense workload. The people at Tiffin also did a lot to make it more manageable. As a non-traditional student, I really appreciated that. Looking back, they really were ahead of the game. Over a decade before it became a common practice for universities, TU was already catering to part-time and working-adult students. I wouldn’t have been able to complete the degree if my professors hadn’t been so understanding.”
Another teacher and mentor, U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Instructor Capt. Melvin Jolly, gave Mark advice about the importance of seeing the world outside Detroit. Mark
Mark also feels that his former TU instructors held him accountable academically just as much as they showed him grace, a balance for which he is especially grateful.
DRAGONRISING TO THE CHALLENGE / 22
