ST. LOUIS, Mo.(KMOX) — Ameren Illinois President and CEO Richard J. Mark is named one of the “100 Most Powerful Executives in America” for 2012 by Black Enterprise Magazine.

Mark gives much of the credit to Ameren for encouraging its employees to be active in the community. He says he takes his influence seriously.

“Everything I do as a business person that helps move the business forward has an impact on the business, on the community on me and my family and everyone I try to be a role model for.”

Mark says his family has a way of keeping him humble though. He says when he sent his wife of text telling her about the honor, she responded by telling him that with their grandson’s baptism Sunday, he needed to hurry home and clean off the deck and backyard.

Mark has been with Ameren since 2002.  He says his early dreams were to be a teacher.  “When I grew up, the most successful people I saw were teachers, ministers and a few doctors.  I always wanted to teach.  My first job out of college was as a special education teacher.”  Mark also coached for four years at his old high school in Collinsville.

“Helping young people is still important to me today.  I hope that a young person will see me and think they can do it too.”

Prior to joining Ameren,  Mark was the volunteer chairman of the East St. Louis District 189 Financial Oversight Panel for ten years helping to turn around the  financially failing school district.  He also spent six years as president and chief executive officer of St. Mary’s Hospital in East St. Louis and five years as chief operating officer.

Mark is featured in the September issue of Black Enterprise Magazine, along with leaders from other major U.S. companies such as Xerox, Federal Express and McDonald’s Corporation.

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