Our speaker on Friday September 23 is Mark J. Heppner President & CEO Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
Vitae - Mark J. Heppner President & CEO Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan
YOU THINK YOU KNOW HISTORY?
Ford Historian and Museum Director from Detroit (Grosse Pointe Shores) joining the tour and providing the banquet presentation for the Red Flag Participants. Mark Heppner is a good friend and not only knows history but lives it. He will be joining the group for the Friday evening banquet and share “the rest of the story” about the Ford Family. He will also join with us on Saturday for the commemorative tour. Mark will be looking for a Ford to ride in for the tour from New London to Brighton.
Mark is the President and CEO of Ford House, the historic estate of Edsel and Eleanor Ford in Grosse Pointe Shores – a National Historic Landmark. The photo on the right is Mark with Edsel Ford’s custom 1930 Model A dual cowl phaeton (on 1929 chassis).
Before assuming his current role, he was the Executive Director of Salisbury House & Gardens, a historic estate in Des Moines, Iowa, where he lived for three years. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of Museum Services Division at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, an American Alliance of Museums accredited historic house museum and gardens in Akron, Ohio.
He received his B.A. at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio with a major in History and minors in Political Science and Anthropology. His M.A. degree comes from Cleveland State University where he majored in American History with specific focus in public history and archival research. Mark is a 2004 graduate of the Seminar for Historical Administration program and in 2006 he spent a month in Thailand as a participant of the AAM sponsored International Partnerships Among Museums program focused on cultural exchange and appreciation.
He is a member of Rotary and has filled several community leadership roles. He is a board member of MotorCities National Heritage Area, currently serving as Chair, and the Michigan Museums Association, recently receiving the 2022 President’s Award. He is also serving on the board of directors for the Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce.
Mark is very dedicated to local and state history, assisting museums and heritage organizations with various administrative and strategic museum/community-related issues. He resides in Hartland, Michigan with his wife and three children on a historic farm complete with horses, goats, sheep, dogs, cats, and a wide variety of poultry!
