Mark Courtney is a professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration and an affiliated scholar at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Dr. Courtney is a national expert on child welfare issues and policies. His current research includes studies of the adult functioning of former foster children, of experimental evaluation of independent living services for foster youth, of reunification of foster children with their families, and an evaluation of Solution Based Casework as a child welfare practice model.

Previously, Dr. Courtney held the Ballmer Chair in Child Well-Being at the University of Washington School of Social Work and served as executive director of Partners for Our Children. He also served as the executive director of Chapin Hall and as the McCormick Tribune Professor at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. He has a master's degree in management and planning, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Social Welfare.