Mark A. Nystuen

Mark A. Nystuen, in the second smartest thing he ever did, moved to Chicago in the late 1970s and promptly fell in love with the city. In a nearly thirty-year career with LaSalle Bank, one of the Midwest's largest financial institutions, Mark headed up the creation of the bank's sports marketing business. For more than a dozen years, those responsibilities included leading the organization, marketing, and operation of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. During that time, Mark and his team turned a mid-level race into one of the world's largest participatory events. Mark is now a principal at The Kineo Group, a Chicago-based strategic marketing, branding, and communications firm.

In the smartest thing he ever did, he married Susan, and they have three amazing sons: Kevin, Connor, and Scott--Chicagoans all.