Mark Tuniewicz
Mark Tuniewicz (born 1961, New Hampshire, US) is a business executive, trade association chairman, and political activist for libertarian causes. He was twice elected as chairman of the legendary Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, served on the Libertarian National Committee rising from regional representative (representing New York and the New England states), was later elected twice as national treasurer/CFO and served on its executive committee. Unique in LP history, Tuniewicz served on the boards of directors of an unprecedented five state party affiliates (New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Michigan,[1] and Massachusetts) and was an early and effective advocate for local organizing and campaigns LP. Tuniewicz retired in 2017 at age 55 and left the United States.
Political leadership and background[edit]
Tuniewicz spent a brief stint as a registered Republican after having been mentored and recruited by a founder of the Maine Lesbian Gay Political Association (MLGPA, now EqualityMaine) and well-known leader in Maine politics Robin Lambert, with whom he worked. Lambert accompanied him to the Maine Republican Convention in 1990, where Tuniewicz spoke and was elected Cumberland County Treasurer.
He was exposed to libertarianism in college in the mid-1980s, and joined the Libertarian Party in the early 1990s, joining the board and becoming the first director of communications for the LPCT in 1993.
During his tenure he moderated the first debate for the 1996 Libertarian presidential nomination, with participants in 1995 including Harry Browne, Rick Tomkins, and Irwin Schiff. Tuniewicz pioneered bringing increased legitimacy and visibility to important party positions through a series of public forums with speakers such as New Haven, Connecticut police chief Nick Pastore (on marijuana legalization and community policing), and Yale Law School professor Akil Amar on (2nd Amendment rights and the individual right to bear arms). Garnering improved press coverage, the LPCT went on to see increased membership, candidates and votes during his tenure and that of longtime chair Carl Vassar.
Tuniewicz responded to several requests to return to his native New Hampshire to help with a party that was reeling from the loss of 4 sitting Libertarian state representatives, who had established the first third-party state delegation since Reconstruction. He was elected and re-elected as state party chair, working with people like John Babiarz, Ken Blevens, Don Gorman and others to accomplish a record number of LPNH public officeholders through 1998. He actively worked on several of Gorman's campaigns, led a state party lobbying effort that eased ballot access requirements,[2] and served as a New Hampshire conservation commissioner. In 1996 he was elected as a member of the Libertarian National Committee, representing New York and the seven New England states on a first ballot vote and became a life member of the party.
As an LPMA board member, starting in 1999 Tuniewicz wrote a series of "how-to" articles in the National Libertarian publication "LP News" focusing on local organizing and officeholders providing advice on topics such as how to organize an LP town committee, fundraising[3]/campaigning and getting appointed to a local board/commission.[4] These progressive articles were subsequently republished in state/local Libertarian, Green, and Constitution Party publications.
Later in 1998, Tuniewicz ran for national treasurer with the encouragement/endorsement of David Bergland's vice presidential candidate Jim Lewis. He was elected national treasurer on a first ballot vote, and subsequently re-elected. During his tenure the party instituted a cash reserve requirement, more professional financial reporting/management, and generally professionalized its operations. Tuniewicz initiated the party's highly successful bequest program (now known as "Legacy Libertarian") seeding it during the 1998 convention with his own six-figure commitment.
In 2000 he served on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Municipal Association and the Association of Town Finance Committees. He was an elected official in Easton, Massachusetts and served on its Finance Committee, School Planning Committee, Town Administrator Search Committee, and other roles. In 2000, Tuniewicz also became the first-ever Libertarian appointed to a state commission dealing with international trade by Massachusetts Governor Paul Celluci.
In 2001, Tuniewicz unexpectedly resigned from the national committee and as treasurer, suspended his life membership, and in an unprecedented step also revoked his membership certification (the "non-violence" or "non-aggression" pledge). He named Dr. Derryl Martin, a finance professor and fellow LNC member, as assistant treasurer to assure a smooth transition.
Business leadership[edit]
Tuniewicz most recently served as vice president of enterprise finance for publicly traded UNFI,[citation needed] a $9 billion natural and organic foods firm, where he led a team of 300. He previously held senior financial leadership positions with other large well-known firms such as Royal Philips, Konica/Minolta, CCM/The Hockey Co. and Starter Sportswear. He specialized in the creation of shared services environments throughout the order-to-cash cycle, and established centers in India, the Philippines, Mexico and the US, saving US firms millions in operating costs.
Trade association leadership[edit]
Early in his career, Tuniewicz worked as a B2B corporate credit professional, and after several years on its board, in 2006 he was named national chairman[5] of the National Association of Credit Management ("NACM"), a 20,000-business member trade association and educational group with active affiliates throughout the US and Puerto Rico. That same year he was named one of the Top 50 Most Influential Collections Industry Professionals in the United States by Collection Advisor magazine. At the NACM he participated in dozen of boards/committees, led a strategic planning effort, participated in congressional lobbying efforts, and helped the organization enter new business areas.
Publications, speaking engagements, and articles[edit]
Tuniewicz has spoken regularly to credit and business groups nationwide on best practices in business-to-business credit and treasury matters including commercial credit scoring, high volume collections, cash application, order and billing administration, shared services, and creating high performing teams. He has been quoted in the The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Reuters, Bloomberg News, Business Credit, Credit and Collections Manager's Letter, The Boston Globe, Credit Today, and other business publications.
Tuniewicz is a member of the Financial Leadership Council, organized by Robert Half International.
References[edit]
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