Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Mark McKenzie

44. Mark McKenzie

Mark McKenzie, the staff director for the Senate Appropriations Committee, is a veritable Capitol institution at this point. He’s in his 20th year with the Senate Committee on Appropriations and has been staff director since 2012. He’s on his eighth committee chair and is working under his fourth Pro Tem, (Too many suspense files to count, as he jokes.) Any bill with a fiscal component will eventually come into contact with McKenzie, making him an obvious nexus of power within the building. His longevity in the job has increased his influence at the Capitol, especially when you consider that there has been turnover in recent years with his Assembly counterpart. A Capitol staffer since 2001, McKenzie has firmly established himself as a key figure in the building.

Updated Aug. 7, 2024