Former President, NVCA

Mark Heesen received the Lifetime Achievement Award at VentureScape 2014, honored for his over 20 years of service to National Venture Capital Association. As a former President of the National Venture Capital Association, Mr. Heesen was responsible for all Association activities, including leading its professional staff, working closely with the NVCA Board of Directors and venture capital community, developing Association policies and strategies, and directing the Association’s national legislative and regulatory efforts. In addition, Mark oversaw the management of NVCA’s affiliate organization, the American Entrepreneurs for Economic Growth, which represents 14,000 emerging growth companies. Since 1991, Mark has worked on behalf of the venture capital community to enact a wide range of policies that benefit the venture capital and entrepreneurial communities, including a significant capital gains differential, securities litigation reform, accounting treatment of stock options and merger accounting, reform of the FDA pre-market approval process, among others. Prior to coming to the NVCA, Mark was an aide to a former Governor of Pennsylvania and was Deputy Director for Federal Funds reporting to the Texas Legislature. Mark received a law degree with an emphasis in taxation from the Dickinson School of Law in 1984.