Mark Pope received his Doctor of Education in Counseling and Educational Psychology from the University of San Francisco. He also earned two academic degrees (A.B. in Political Science and Sociology and M.Ed. in Counseling and Personnel Services) from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Dr. Pope holds certifications as a National Certified Counselor, Master Career Counselor, National Certified Career Counselor, Certified Career Counselor, Master Addictions Counselor, and Approved Clinical Supervisor. He is also licensed in Missouri as a professional counselor and psychologist and in Illinois as a clinical psychologist. Dr. Pope was appointed to the highest and most prestigious academic rank in the UM System - Curators' Distinguished Professor.

Dr. Pope's primary area of interest and research is in multicultural career counseling, especially gay/lesbian, Native American, and Asian career development issues.  He has written on the history and development of professional counseling in general and career counseling in particular in the USA and other countries, violence in the schools, and Native American traditional healing.  He has published 16 books, over 45 chapters in books, 45 articles in professional journals, and over 135 presentations at international, national, regional, and state professional conferences. His expertise in teaching includes career counseling, psychological assessment, multicultural counseling, substance abuse counseling, the practice of counseling, and the history of counseling.

Dr. Pope has held significant national offices in several professional associations, including the American Counseling Association (2003-2004 President), National Career Development Association (1998-1999 President), and Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues (2010-2011 President). Also, he has served as the Editor of The Career Development Quarterly, Senior Associate Editor for both the Journal of Counseling & Development and Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, Advisory Editor for the Journal of Asia Pacific Counseling, Advisory Editor for the Malaysian Online Journal of Counseling, and has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Counseling & Development, The Career Development Quarterly, Counseling: Giornale Italiano di Ricerca e Applicazioni, Journal of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling, and The Family Journal. He served as a consultant to Apple Computers, AT&T, United States Internal Revenue Service, United States Healthcare Financing Administration, Telekom Malaysia, and several other corporations and government agencies. He also lectured throughout Asia including Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and China and was the Founding Editor of an international career development newsletter, Global Career Resources.

He is a Fellow of the American Counseling Association, National Career Development Association, American Psychological Association, Society of Counseling Psychology (APA Division 17), Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (APA Division 44), and Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (APA Division 45) and is a Life Member of the American Counseling Association, Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and Chi Sigma Iota (national counseling honorary). Dr. Pope has also received a number of pretigious awards, such as the Eminent Career Award, the highest award in the field of career counseling and development.

Dr. Pope is an Elder of the Saint Francis River Band of Cherokees. He also served as the Director of Psychological Services for the American Indian AIDS Institute and the Native American AIDS Project in San Francisco.