Mark Hass

Mark Hass is a Professor of Practice at the Arizona State University. He founded and leads Peconic First LP, a venture capital firm investing in early-stage marketing and media companies, whose business models are built on social platforms, data analytics, or immersive virtual experiences. Peconic First investors have a vision for a future built in a digital context. They will provide funding, as well as strategic, business development, and communications support, to portfolio companies based in the greater New York City area, the San Francisco Bay area, and Israeli. He previously led the U.S. operations of Edelman and joined the firm in 2010 as China President. He has extensive experience helping global brands such as General Motors, Procter & Gamble and United Airlines integrate compelling digital and media strategies into reputation management, brand-building, crisis management, and CSR programs. Mark previously founded MH Group Communications, a New York-based firm now part of Edelman Digital. He is also the former Global CEO of MS&L Worldwide and President of Hass Associates, a Michigan-based PR firm known for its digital communications. He is a trustee of the Institute for Public Relations and a member of the Arthur Page Society. Earlier in his career, Mark worked as a reporter and editor in Washington, Miami, and Detroit, where his staff won the Pulitzer Prize and where he was part of a team that created one of the nation’s first comprehensive newspaper websites in 1993.