Mark Culliton

Mark Culliton was recently appointed chief executive officer of Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, Inc., by Federated’s board of directors. Culliton’s appointment began March 5. He succeeds Mamadou Ndiaye, who served as Federated’s interim executive director since last October.

“We are delighted to announce a very talented and experienced new leader for Federated. Mark brings strong organizational skills and financial management experience and has a passionate commitment to Federated’s work and to the Dorchester community,” said Catherine Donaher, chair of the search committee and a member of Federated’s board of directors.

Culliton’s career has focused on serving children and families in low-income urban communities. Most recently, he was the vice president for business development at Lighthouse Academies (LHA), where he was responsible for developing new charter schools. Under Culliton, LHA grew from one school serving 120 students into a network of arts-infused schools that serve more than 2,300 students on nine campuses.

Prior to joining LHA, Culliton served as the chief operating officer of B.E.L.L. (Building Educated Leaders for Life), a nonprofit organization providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to 1,500 children in elementary schools in Boston, New York City and Washington, D.C. After obtaining his master’s degree in business administration from Yale University in the mid-1990s, Culliton spent four years as executive director of Uphams Corner Main Street, a business district planning agency that works with city merchants, property owners, residents and agencies to bolster commercial opportunities in the Dorchester neighborhood of Uphams Corner.

The multilingual Culliton spent several years in India as a child and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand for three years. He is chairman of the board of trustees of the Boston Preparatory Charter Public School in Hyde Park.

Before earning an M.B.A. from Yale University, Culliton received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan. He lives in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester with his wife Mary and two children.