Meet Mark A. Hackel
Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel serves as head of the executive branch of government. He supervises and coordinates with all County departments, except for departments headed by countywide elected officials. The office provides internal direction and support to the County's departments and organizations and external support to the residents, communities and businesses of Macomb County.
Biography
Mark A. Hackel is a lifelong resident and champion of Macomb County. Growing up in Warren, Mark is a proud graduate of Warren Consolidated Schools, where his claim to fame was never missing a day of school (K-12) and wresting in the state finals as a first-team all-county wrestler. He holds an associate degree from Macomb Community College, a bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University and a master’s in public administration from Central Michigan University.
Mark began his career with Macomb County in 1981 as a dispatcher in the Sheriff’s Office. Over the next 30 years he worked his way up through every rank in the department, and in November of 2000 was elected county sheriff. Throughout his tenure in law enforcement, Mark obtained several decorated accreditations. He attended the F.B.I. National Academy, the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection School and represented Macomb County overseas in England, Ukraine, Columbia and Israel helping educate others on our system of law enforcement.
In 2011 the residents of Macomb County ushered in a new charter form of government, and Mark was elected to serve as the first-ever County Executive. His unique experiences serving Macomb County for decades coupled with his community-focused leadership approach, provided a dynamic foundation to transform the way residents and businesses engaged with county government. Mark created the award-winning marketing and branding campaign “Make Macomb Your Home” which has raised the profile of the County. By focusing on the place so many call home, Mark has been able to connect an ever-growing network of partners that are helping transform the future of Macomb County.
Under his leadership, Macomb County has become a model for responsible financial management with structurally balanced budgets, a healthy fund balance that includes a fully funded retiree and health care system and continually maintaining the highest standards of municipal financing.
Mark’s commitment to public safety helped develop the vision for, the County’s state-of-the-art communications and technology center (COMTEC) which is home to Emergency Management, Information Technology, Traffic Operations and 911 Dispatch. That same commitment has also led the process of transformational criminal justice reform in Macomb County with a new $250 million Central Intake and Assessment Center with a mindful approach to mental health and substance abuse.
Mark has also made it a priority to ensure Macomb is welcoming to all with the creation of OneMacomb, which prioritizes the County’s multiculturalism and inclusivity through arts and community affairs, building connections throughout the County, region and world, as well as developing multicultural best practices on delivering services to the residents in Macomb County.
You can often hear Mark say, ‘There isn’t a road or bridge we can’t fix if we have the funding to fix it’ and that mantra is evident with the Innovate Mound Project which highlights a 5-year collaboration and planning with local, state and federal leaders on a transformative, $230 million project. Once completed, Mound Road will be a state-of-the-art roadway with infrastructure that will serve our community for decades to come adding to the County’s status as having the most connected corridor system in the country.
As chief executive officer of Michigan’s third largest county, Mark's unique non-partisan approach, by being in the aisle, has given him the opportunity to bring people together and effectively provide solutions to the community. He is committed to providing innovative leadership for the region while delivering the services citizens and businesses expect.
In his free time, Mark enjoys staying active through various sports, working out, going to the movies and spending time with his wife Tracie, family, friends and his dog, Lucy.