Mark LaPointe took on the post of Director of Religious Education for the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church on November 1, 2008. Mark has spent most of his career in higher education, teaching most recently at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania where he also sat on the board of the Meadville UU. He holds a BA in English with minors in Women's Studies and African-American Studies from Colby College in Waterville, Maine. He has completed graduate work in Journalism and Communication at the University of Nevada, Reno and at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mark sees education as a radical, spiritual action that is at the center of Unitarian Universalist principles.

Mark is a native of Lakeville, Massachusetts. He and his husband, Jim and their son, Bryce moved to Gloucester in August, 2008. They enjoy the beach, camping and cooking together. Mark also teaches occasional classes for Endicott College and the University of Phoenix online.