Mark Zitter was founder of Zitter Health Insights, a market research and data firm focused on access to medical technologies, which he sold in 2019. He is chairman emeritus and founder of the Zetema Project, which convenes a diverse group of US healthcare leaders to enhance the national healthcare conversation. Mark also served as the healthcare advisor and meeting facilitator for Convergence California, a bi-partisan coalition focused on achieving universal healthcare coverage for Californians. 

Mark chaired the board of SFJAZZ, the nation’s leading presenter of jazz, and contributed to the development of the SFJAZZ Center, the first freestanding center for jazz in America. He serves on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Club, the country’s oldest and largest public affairs forum. There Mark chairs a series on end-of-life issues as well as hosting other healthcare-related programs. He also serves on the Governance Committee of the San Francisco Jewish Community Federation, the Leadership Council for Convergence, and the Boards of both Boundless Junior Agility Camp and Reel Medicine Media. 

Mark was founding CEO of Vital Decisions, a telephone counseling company for patients with serious illness, that he sold in 2012. He advises startup and growth companies through the advisory committee for Riverside Partners and the Israeli venture fund ICI as well as several independent healthcare startups. He founded a Learning Group on systemic racism for his Stanford class and coordinates educational programming for SERGE, a private national entrepreneur’s group. Mark has worked with not-for-profits on Board development and published articles in Stanford Social Innovation Review on chairing NFP Boards, managing Boards in a virtual environment, and running effective hybrid meetings. He currently is developing a non-profit organization aimed at improving skills of social sector leaders. 

Mark lives in Oakland, CA with his physician-film maker wife and their mini-poodle. They have three adult children scattered around the US. His hobbies include convening, jazz and classical music, pescatarian cooking, and voracious reading.