Mark Surman

Surman received his bachelor's degree in the history of community media from the University of Toronto in 1994.

In 1998, Surman co-founded and became president of the Commons Group, providing advice on networks, technology, and social change.[4]

From 2005 to 2008, Surman was the managing director of telecentre.org.[5] Created by Canada's International Development Research Centre, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Microsoft, telecentre.org worked to network the global telecentre community, and improve their sustainability.[6]

The Shuttleworth Foundation, which provides funding for people engaged in social change,[7] awarded Surman one of its inaugural fellowship in 2007. There he helped advance thinking about how to apply open source approaches to philanthropy.[8]

Mark Surman at Mozfest 2019

In August 2008, Surman became the executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, an independent non-profit that was launched on July 15, 2003, as America Online shut down the Netscape browser division and drastically scaled back its involvement with the Mozilla project.[9]

As executive director, Surman oversaw the launch of Drumbeat,[10] a "global community of people who steward the open web, explaining and protecting the internet as a critical public resource," by supporting projects and local events that gathers creative people "around big ideas, solving problems and building the open web." [11]

In 2012 Surman launched Mozilla's Maker Party.[12] In those events, volunteers associated with the Mozilla Foundation teach web-literacy classes, focusing on tools, projects, and community.[13]

In 2013, foundation volunteers conducted 1,700 teaching events in 331 cities.[14] At the White House's first-ever Maker's Faire in 2014, hosted by President Barack Obama, Surman and Mozilla announced that Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National 4-H Council, and the Association of Science and Technology Centers would partner with Mozilla for the 2014 Maker Parties.[15]

In 2015 the Mozilla Foundation and Surman started expanding this work by launching Mozilla Learning Networks in 500 cities. These networks design, deliver and spread web literacy curriculum and teaching tools.[16]

In 2005, Prentice Hall published his book "Commonspace: Beyond Virtual Community."[17] And "From the Ground Up: The Evolution of the Telecentre Movement" was published by Telecentre.org in 2006.[18]

Surman also has written opinion editorials for The Washington Post,[19] CNN.com,[20] The Globe and Mail,[21] Chronicle of Philanthropy,[22] MIT's Innovations,[23] and Fast Company.[24]

Surman has been interviewed by NPR Morning Edition,[25] The Irish Times,[26] CBC,[27] and other outlets.

Surman was born in Toronto, Ontario. He currently resides in Toronto with his two sons, Ethan and Tristan Surman.