Mark Kleinschmidt grew up in the Air Force and spent his childhood living all around the country. He ultimately landed in Chapel Hill where he earned a B.A. in Education from the University of North Carolina, and after teaching high school for several years in Charlotte, received his J.D.  from UNC School of Law in May 2000.He currently serves as the Orange County Clerk of Superior Court having first been elected to that office in 2018.

Mark served on the Chapel Hill Town Council from 2001 to 2009. He was elected Mayor of Chapel Hill in November 2009 and served as mayor until 2015.  Prior to being elected Clerk, Kleinschmidt practiced law for more than 18 years, first at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, then as Executive Director of the Fair Trial Initiative and finally with the firm Tin Fulton Walker & Owen.  He also continues to serve as an adjunct professor at the UNC School of Law teaching trail advocacy and at the Friday Center where he teaches Trusts and Estates in the UNC-Chapel Hill Paralegal Certificate Program. He has served on several non-profit boards including EqualityNC, the ACLU of North Carolina, Kidzu, and Eyes Ears Nose and Paws.

Mark continues to live in Chapel Hill with his husband Mat DeBellis and their dog Ellie.