CORE SCORE

Who is Mark Queen: A Navigator of Faith, Family, and Business

From a paper route at age seven to navigating complex business terrains for entrepreneurs, Mark's life is a compelling narrative of faith, family, and professional evolution. He's not just a man who crossed religious and business domains; he's a connector, a navigator, and above all, a man of faith who believes that ones foundation of faith doesn’t need to be left at the worship center.

Early Years and the Genesis of Faith

Mark was born to hard-working parents in Dodge City and raised in a modest but warm home. As a child, he found himself drawn to church, where he formed lifelong friendships and a spiritual foundation. This grounding in faith deepened during a youth camp, where an overwhelming presence on a cliff at Scott City Lake forever imprinted the reality of God's existence on his heart.

The College Years, Love, and Family

College was a whirlwind of discovery, both personal and spiritual. It was here he met Kayla, the woman who would become his partner in all aspects of life. Marriage happened quickly after a short courtship during college, and soon after graduation with the first degree, their family grew to include three children: David, Bryan, and Kristen. But it was David's heart condition that tested and deepened Mark's faith more than anything else. The crisis emphasized the value of community, as their church rallied around them, both spiritually and financially. Despite the seemingly insurmountable medical expenses and emotional burdens, their church family offered spiritual support, prayers, and communal strength. Remarkably, one of David's heart conditions spontaneously healed—a miracle that fortified Mark's faith.

Professional Life: A Tapestry of Opportunities and Challenges

After college, Mark was at a crossroads. The emotional toll of witnessing a colleague’s messy divorce served as a grim lesson but also revealed the ethical framework that would come to define Mark's professional life. He learned not to make deals that compromise your moral compass, a lesson he took with him in his new role in the financial services world in Wichita and later, Keating Associates.

A Dual Quest for Leadership:

While Mark's family faithfully managed David’s medical crisis, his professional path was simultaneously scaling new heights. Joining Keating Associates in 1989, he morphed into a consummate leader, seamlessly balancing his professional duties and religious commitments. His involvement in church governance and his eventual role as a lay leader significantly enriched the community that had always been his spiritual bedrock.

Suzanne Bernritter provides executive level collaboration and project management as Director of Collaboration with Core Score. She focuses on the opportunities that come through building relationships with like-minded leaders driven to lead with faith-based principles and convictions. 

Suzanne holds a BA in Psychology/Personnel Management and an MA in Human Resources/Business Administration. Suzanne’s early career was in non-profit management, in the disability field. Her experiences gave her the opportunity to learn and stretch in the areas of program development, training and development, project management, grant writing, event planning and fundraising, volunteer development and coaching in the areas of independent living, advocacy, empowerment and worksite wellness. An early partnership with a single mom with a little girl with Down’s Syndrome, shifted her paradigm in how to work with people and provide services. The paradigm shift became a catalyst to grow successful collaborations with youth, young adults, parents, business leaders, health care professionals and community leaders. 

Growing up a “preacher’s kid” Suzanne learned the importance of having and establishing values in all parts of your life. Integrity, accountability, honesty, keeping a promise, having actions match your words and loving people, have been a constant thread visible in her work and personal life. 

When serving people, she starts with asking the right questions and getting to know them based on their “in the now” needs. This initial relationship building is paramount to all levels of collaboration and problem-solving. Suzanne loves to help people, help themselves. Any task, small or large, that paves the way to building people up, is a ministry to Suzanne, allowing her to empower people and solve problems with a servant leadership mindset.

New to Manhattan, Suzanne shares this great life journey with her husband of 26 years, Von. They raised two children together and Suzanne currently volunteers with the Manhattan Afghan Resettlement Team, in developing their volunteer recruitment and training program.