Mark Leo
Community Worksite Organizer, SEIU Local 221

Mark Leo was born in Baguio City, Philippines in 1984. He immigrated to the United States at the age of one, after his father had joined the Navy. After a brief stint in Oregon, his father was stationed in San Diego, California, which Mark would call home. As a “native” San Diegan, Mark grew up in the Paradise Hills and attended Morse High School. After graduating high school, Mark attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and got his undergraduate degrees in both History and Asian American Studies, making sure his concentration would be on social and economic justice issues.

Mark would return to San Diego and work for two years with the San Diego County Office of Education, working in the Juvenile Court and Community Schools. He would then return to academia and attend San Francisco State University getting his MA in Asian American Studies, a program that pushed students toward community work. After graduation Mark returned back to San Diego and worked for the Center on Policy Initiatives, and more recently as political/community organizer for SEIU Local 221.