Mark Howard is the Director of the Office of Private Sector Exchange Program Analysis and Compliance (OPAC) in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the US Department of State. He leads OPAC’s efforts to ensure the integrity, accountability, and operational excellence of the Exchange Visitor Program, which hosts approximately 500,000 participants annually. Under his leadership, OPAC safeguards the health, safety, and welfare of exchange visitors through complaint and incident management, compliance monitoring, program evaluation, and interagency coordination. Prior to his current role, he led initiatives for the Fulbright Program and directed two Department-designated exchange visitor programs, including nationwide initiatives for foreign trainees and academic scholars.