October Mensch of the Month, Mark Packer, Ph.D.

Mark Packer is the new chair of our Ritual Committee. Along with those on the committee with him: Susan Abelkop, David Blumenfeld, Bob Britanisky, Ben Stauber, Elaine Hyman, and ex officio President Sandy Gordin, Mark has guided and directed the High Holidays Honors this year with great sensitivity and effectiveness. He also teaches our young people in Sunday School and has done so for many years.

As well as an expert in art history, Dr. Mark Packer is associate professor in the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, where he has taught since 2011. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Northwestern University. Since then, he has held faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University and Dartmouth College, where he received numerous teaching awards. In addition to scholarly articles in ethics and the philosophy of art, Mark has published work on Kant and Aristotle and frequently directs interdisciplinary conferences for Liberty Fund, a non-profit educational foundation based in Indianapolis. Mark is the founder and full-time faculty advisor of the Adjunct Faculty Association at the University of South Carolina Upstate.