Mark Lawson became Executive Director of the Police Retirement System in September 2019.  Mark is a native St. Louisan, having grown up on the South Side.  He is an alumnus of St. Raphael the Archangel School and St. Louis University High School.  He then obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Mizzou and a law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.  He became a licensed member of both the Missouri and Illinois Bars.

After working as an attorney in private practice, Mark joined the City Counselor’s Office.  One of Mark’s responsibilities in the City Counselor’s Office was to serve as Legal Advisor to the Board of Trustees of the Police Retirement System, which he did from 1997 to 2009.

In 2009 Mark left the City Counselor’s Office for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, where he became General Counsel to the St. Louis Board of Police Commissioners.  Less than a year later, he added the responsibilities of Secretary to the Board of Police Commissioners, and was the only person to ever hold the dual title of Secretary & General Counsel to the Board.

When City control of the Police Department occurred, Mark was administratively reclassified into the City Counselor’s Office as an Attorney Manager.  Among his responsibilities, he again served as Legal Advisor to the Police Retirement Board until 2019.  Upon the retirement of the previous Executive Director, the Board of Trustees of the Police Retirement System selected Mark as the System's new Executive Director.

Mark is an avid sports fan, and he was a member of the winning team at the first-ever St. Patrick’s Center Sports Trivia Championship.  Mark is grateful to have lived long enough to see the Stanley Cup being raised by the St. Louis Blues, for which he’s been a season-ticket holder for more than 35 years.