Are You an Outlaw? Meet Mark Smalls

Who has redefined what it means to think outside the law (aka OUTLAW) and is helping each of us in the process?

Meet Mark Smalls, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer with JAMS, the world’s largest private provider of alternative dispute resolution services.

Mark oversees marketing and business development for the organization both domestically and internationally. This includes oversight of a 25 member team of professionals who focus on marketing communications, digital marketing, customer outreach and developing the practices of the over 400 mediators and arbitrators who work in 27 JAMS offices across the U.S. and abroad. He also chairs the organization’s Diversity Committee, has frequent interaction with the company’s board of directors, and has published several marketing and diversity related articles and serves on the JAMS Foundation board.

During Mark’s JAMS tenure, he has driven innovation through introducing and advancing digital marketing tools to better target clients and prospects as well as more effectively track results.  He has overseen major company initiatives such as integrating the company’s domestic and international websites, designing sales training for associates, and updating the value proposition to incorporate expanded service offerings. These initiatives help propel the company’s consistent revenue growth during his tenure.

Prior to JAMS, Mr. Smalls held many executive positions including Senior Vice President at Opportunity International, a global non-profit organization focused on empowering people around the world through micro-finance as a way to elevate them out of poverty. While at Opportunity, he oversaw the creation of its first ever online giving platform which diversified the organization’s funding stream, resulting in millions of dollars of new revenue. He also served in a number of key roles at Citibank, including VP of Marketing Communications for Citi Credit Cards, and EVP of Consumer Marketing for the Citibank Diners Club business. Prior to Citi, Mark held a number of positions with Pepsi Cola where he led the national rollout of Aquafina bottled water, and also at Unilever where he successfully launched Lever 2000 bar soap.

Mark has served on many nonprofit boards and has held the position of board president. Currently he is Orange County Chapter President for the CMO Club, a division of Salesforce. Mark is a graduate of Duke University where he received a B.A. in business with a concentration in accounting. He later went on to obtain an MBA in marketing from the Columbia University School of Business.

We asked Mark a few questions, and his answers can be found below. Enjoy getting to know this Outlaw!

Q: What is your idea of happiness?
A: Knowing you have made others happy.

Q: Who is your real life hero?
A: I have two: my Mom & mother-in-law (both deceased). True selflessness in human form.

Q: Finish this sentence: “If I could have one super-power, it would be...”
A: …to be able to sense when someone was experiencing mental anguish and to be able to grant them peace.

Q: If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
A: Malcolm X, to hear firsthand about his life and transformation and to hear his views on the world today.

Q: What is your current state of mind?
A: “Reflective”

Q: Finish this sentence: “If I won the lottery tomorrow I would...”
A: …use the money in this way: 1) Donate to my church; 2) Ask my wife & kids for 1 thing they wanted so I could buy it for them; 3) take a long trip to see some places I’ve wanted to visit; 4) set up an education related foundation.