Whenever he’s called on to publicly defend himself or his organization, newly elected Faculty Association President Mark Whitworth begins with a distinct advantage.

A 22-year veteran of the Performing Arts Division, Whitworth has specialized in communication, focusing on public speaking.

“My favorite course is Argumentation and Debate,” Whitworth said.

Elected in the spring to his first term as FA leader, Whitworth said he is “honored and proud to serve as president of the FA.”

“But at the same time [I] view this as only a title and realize that [I] represent an incredible board of directors. We as a group are the guiding force behind all of the decisions of the FA,” Whitworth said.

He has served many years as an FA board member. “I truly feel, and have been told by others, that joining the union board has rejuvenated my career at PCC,” Whitworth said. “I have a great deal of gratitude towards Roger Marheine and Rod Foster for convincing me that union work would be a good fit for me and I for it.

“The reception I received from the other board members made me feel very welcome when I joined.”

Whitworth spent the past four years as one of the FA’s grievance officers, a pivotal position representing faculty in disputes with the college. “In that position, [I] worked closely with and learned from (current grievance officer) Suzanne Anderson,” Whitworth said.

The new FA president has a long and storied history of service to the campus in a variety of positions where he was able to put his debating skills to good use.

Whitworth started as the director of forensics and lead the Speech and Debate Team for about 14 years, “until the long weekends and travel took its toll on me,” he said.

He also served two terms on the Academic Senate representing the Performing Arts Division; during one of these terms, he was the designated parliamentarian, a position from which he was to ensure the rules of debate were followed.

Whitworth has also served on the Calendar Committee, the Professional Ethics Committee and the Distance Education Committee. He has also been the faculty adviser for numerous student clubs.

Before coming to PCC, Whitworth had a long career in law enforcement. He was an officer with the California Highway Patrol for 14 years, serving in the greater Los Angeles area, until he had to retire due to a back injury.

While with the CHP, he was also involved in union work, serving as the representative for the Central Los AngelesArea of the California Association of Highway Patrolmen.

Whitworth began his association with community colleges as a student, earning his first degree – an AS in criminal justice – from Rio Hondo Community College. Later, he graduated from CSU Los Angeles with a BA in English literature, and obtained a masters in speech communication also from CSULA.

“Above and beyond all of this, I think I identify as a teacher,” Whitworth said.

He is also proud to be “dad to two beautiful little girls – who are 5 and 2. This is why I have very few hobbies. They take up all of my time,” he said.