-Educated at Hobart and William Smith Colleges/BA Psychology-82, SUNY College at Brockport/Masters in Education/Counseling-84, & Certificate of Advanced Study/Counselor Education-90, Finger Lakes Community College-79, UCLA-86, and Honorably Discharged from the United States Army in 1991. Mark Salvatore Pitifer has worked as a Guidance Counselor, and high school coach for the past 37 years. He is the founder of an original philosophy called Raiseism, the dropout prevention program called Project Help Our Pupils Engage. (Project H.O.P.E.), and his school won the National School of Character Award in 2008. He was also a Playground Leader at Chartres Homes(A low income housing project)for 14 summers, and the very first co-recipient of the Geneva High School Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship in 1977. He is an inspirational speaker and the author of Return To Forever (A pschospiritual self-help book). He is also a singer/songwriter and his family’s band The Lions ABIJAH: Featuring the Pitifer Family have released several CD’s which are available on Cdbaby, Amazon, Apple Music, and his own website heaventown.net. He also appeared in Sylvester Stallone’s movie Over The Top... Mark and his wife Leigh Ann Principio, are the proud parents of 3 children (Nina, Noah, and Markie), and they reside in Geneva, New York.