Mark H. Palmer began his appointement as the CAPS Education & Outreach Coordinator in the spring of 1995. He came to CAPS after finishing graduate coursework at Northern Arizona University and a research fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. His educational background includes a bachelors degree in environmental geography from the University of Oklahoma and a masters in geography from Northern Arizona University of Flagstaff. Mark's graduate research interests include temporal-spatial analysis of Native American land, natural resources, and rangeland ecology.

  He has worked as a program development specialist with the Norman Public Schools, served as a public programs assistant at Lowell Observatory, and was a graduate teaching assistant at NAU. Mark is a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and incorporates cultural/environmental themes into his education and outreach programs. His programs also combine the study of geography, physical science, ecology, and meteorology to explain regional weather phenomena such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, drought, and flash floods. Mark enjoys fishing, hiking, traveling through the American Southwest, storm chasing, and playing guitar. His work and creativity are inspired by his wife Kristen and son Patrick.