Mark Leavens, an experienced member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association, is a 2026 recipient of the Citrus College Distinguished Alumni Award.
Leavens has been a volunteer member of the association for more than 30 years. From January 2025 to January 2026, he served as the association's president, providing leadership for the 137th Rose Parade and 112th Rose Bowl football game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Indiana Hoosiers.
A community leader who worked for Nestlé USA for more than 30 years, Leavens grew up in Monrovia and attended Damien High School in La Verne. He began his higher education journey at Citrus College in 1978.
"I enjoyed meeting and working with students from all over the San Gabriel Valley," Leavens said. "It was a new experience for me to interact with teammates and classmates that brought differing life experiences."
As an Owl, Leavens learned the importance of time management as he balanced earning his degree, playing tight end on the football team and working a part-time job. Once he took statistics and economics courses on campus, Leavens knew that studying business was the right choice.
After earning his associate degree in 1980, Leavens transferred to Claremont McKenna College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1983. He later earned his MBA from the University of Redlands in 1992.
In the late 1980s, Leavens began his three-decade-plus career at Nestlé, where he held diverse management roles in marketing communications, promotions, events and shopper marketing. In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Leavens also volunteered extensively in the Pasadena area, coaching YMCA basketball and AYSO soccer, chairing the Nestlé United Way campaign and serving as president of the Pasadena Optimist Club. He retired from Nestlé in 2022.
Since 1995, Leavens has also been heavily involved with the Tournament of Roses. Over the past few decades, he worked on and chaired various committees, from Communications and Credentials to Queen and Court.
After serving as association president for the past year, Leavens remains active with the organization. In addition to being the immediate past president, he remains active on the executive committee, a leadership team he has been involved with since 2016.
Reflecting on his academic and career journey, Leavens sees the value of receiving an education at Citrus College.
"Citrus College is a great place to begin one's college experience," he said. "It offers students such a wide variety of opportunities, from academic and vocational opportunities to extracurricular activities, like clubs, sports and theater."
Leavens and his wife, Kay, live in Pasadena and have three adult children: Katie, Ken and Melissa.
Mr. Leavens' story was originally featured in the program for the 110th Citrus College commencement ceremony.