Mark T. Williams II is a Houston-born, life-long visual artist who has been a Career & Technical Educator in New Orleans for 6 years, training high school, college, and career artists in Digital Media, Digital Literacy, Career Readiness, and Branding. Mark gained a Master of Science in Industrial Design from the University of Houston in 2017 and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History
from Baylor University in 2013. Mark is an Adobe Certified Visual Design Specialist, who also currently teaches Graphic Design and Communication at the New Orelans-based fashion school, the “Material Institute”.
He has extensive knowledge of educational pedagogies, habit formation, skills training, and career preparation from his time as a Combat Engineer (boobytrap, explosives, and mobility augmentation specialist) within the Army, where he was charged with training and preparing deploying units and military personnel for diverse and rapidly changing scenarios and environments. During his time in service, Mark also acted as a career guidance specialist for his fellow soldiers and those entering the civilian workforce.
After completing his master's thesis, “Design for Career Success: web-based career guidance model for industrial designers”, he focused his time on understanding and designing for both the skills and information gaps that lead to career failure. Mark's research into the causes of career failure led to founding and directing an Arts, Culture, and Media based Apprenticeship / Design firm / Magazine called DECAF Publixations. DECAF stands for Design + Entrepreneurship + Culture + Arts + Fashion; its mission is focused on developing and showcasing minority excellence within the worlds of DECAF. Learn more and check out the magazine: decafpublixations.com