Mark Lupo is a senior public service associate with the UGA SBDC. In his previous roles with the UGA SBDC, he served as business education and resilience specialist, and area director for the Columbus office.

He served with the U.S. Army 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C. during the 1980's as the medical supervisor for an "A" detachment, with a language specialty of Turkish. He served in both the Middle East and Europe and was deployed during Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991.

Mark is a graduate of the Alabama Law Enforcement Academy in Birmingham as an APOST certified law enforcement officer for Alabama.  He served with the Russell County Sheriff’s Office as Reserve Deputy from 2009 through 2016 and served as the President of the 1,000 + member Alabama Sheriff’s Reserve Association for the 2014-2015 term.

Mark is a recipient of the 2021 UGA Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach (Hill Award) and received the Flewellen Award for Consulting Excellence for the University of Georgia SBDC in 2012 and 2016.  He is nationally certified as a Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP (Ret)), accredited through the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII), having become a Certified Business Continuity Professional in 2009, and holds the CompTIA Security + certification.

Mark specializes in assisting businesses in developing emergency preparedness and business continuity plans. He has a passion for working with entrepreneurs and small businesses, helping others successfully identify the bath and the resources needed to develop a successful, profitable and prepared business.