Mark Wentling was born and raised in small towns in Kansas and spent 50 years of his life in Africa. He worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Togo and then served on the staff of the Peace Corps in Togo, Gabon, and Niger. He joined USAID, serving as its principal officer in six African countries before retiring in 1996 and taking on several USAID contract jobs in Africa. He has worked for CARE, World Vision, and Plan International.