Published on: July 30, 2026

Public Service Leadership

Mark Forest is a Barnstable County Commissioner and a member of the Yarmouth Select Board.

He is also the past President of the Cape and Islands Municipal Leaders Association.

Forest is an Adjunct Professor of Government and International Relations at Cape Cod Community College. He coordinates Suffolk University’s Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) Program on Cape Cod and teaches MPA courses at the university.

In 2025, he was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Community Advisory Council, which oversees the management of the Upper Cape Water Supply Reserve. The Reserve consists of 15,000 acres of state-owned land (within the boundaries of Joint Base Cape Cod) that serves as the primary source of Cape Cod’s drinking water supplies.

As a County Commissioner, Forest has secured federal funds for several county initiatives and serves on the Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which sets transportation funding priorities for the region.

He also serves as the Chairman of the Cape Cod Conservation District, which works with towns on Cape Cod to fund ecological restoration projects. The District has secured over $100 million in federal funding to restore coastal habitat and wetlands throughout the region.

Early Career in Provincetown

His professional career started in 1981 in the Provincetown Town Manager’s office, where he served as the Funding Coordinator, Assistant Town Manager and Acting Town Manager.

During his tenure in Provincetown, he was responsible for coordinating the planning and funding for the redevelopment of MacMillan Wharf and securing funds for numerous public works, community development and environmental projects. These included securing federal and state grants to upgrade the town’s aging water system; clean up groundwater contamination threatening the town’s water supplies; and a community housing rehabilitation program. The Provincetown Select Board appointed Forest to represent the town on several regional boards, including the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority, the Cape Cod Planning and Economic Development Commission, and the Barnstable County Finance Advisory Board.

Service with Congressman Gerry E. Studds

In 1985, Forest joined the staff of Congressman Gerry E. Studds. He represented Mr. Studds in local meetings and worked closely with the Congressman on numerous initiatives, including the designation of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the creation of the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR), and the Mashpee National Wildlife Refuge.

Forest was known primarily for his work in helping secure full funding for the cleanup of groundwater pollution emanating from the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) and the restoration of local drinking water supplies.

As the Congressman’s representative, he worked with Barnstable County officials to secure federal approval of Barnstable County’s innovative HOME consortium, which provides affordable housing funds to Cape Cod. Following the 1990 Census, he helped establish a new Barnstable-Yarmouth HUD entitlement designation, bringing an annual allocation of federal community development block grant funds to the Mid-Cape.

In 1992, he co-founded the Lower Cape Community Development Corporation, now called the Community Development Partnership, a community development corporation serving the Lower and Outer Cape Cod region.

Forest also served as a liaison to the Cape Cod National Seashore Advisory Commission, county and municipal governments in the district, and the fishing industry.

Service with Congressman Bill Delahunt

In 1997, following the retirement of Gerry Studds, Forest joined the staff of Congressman Bill Delahunt. With Delahunt, he performed a similar role, supervising district operations and constituent services while helping local towns secure federal and state funds for local projects.

He also continued working on the cleanup of pollution emanating from Joint Base Cape Cod, a project that has secured well over $1.5 billion in funding.

With Delahunt, Forest secured federal approval of the County Alternative Septic System Test Center and assisted in the drafting of the 15,000-acre Upper Cape Cod Water Supply Reserve—the largest land conservation project since the establishment of the Cape Cod National Seashore—and the creation of the Upper Cape Water Supply District.

With Delahunt, he also played an active role in creating a long-term master plan for Joint Base Cape Cod and helped steer federal appropriations to Cape Cod for numerous open space land acquisitions.

Forest was tasked by Delahunt to work with local veterans’ groups to establish a primary healthcare clinic in Hyannis. He co-chaired the Cape Cod Public Transit Task Force that expanded public transportation on Cape Cod, providing funding for several transportation projects such as the “Flex Bus” shuttle service on the Lower Cape, and numerous bike trail projects in Yarmouth and Falmouth, including the Shining Sea Bikeway and the Cape Cod Rail Trail.

Chief of Staff and Federal Policy

In 2005, at the request of local leaders, Forest served as Chairman of the “Save Otis” Coalition, which helped prevent the Otis Air National Guard Base and Coast Guard Air Station on Cape Cod from being closed during the 2005 round of military base closures.

Following the success in saving the local military base, Forest became Delahunt’s Chief of Staff, working out of Washington, D.C. During this time, he was the Congressman’s principal policy advisor, speechwriter, legislative director, and communications director.

With Delahunt, he drafted legislative initiatives in clean energy, offshore wind, and marine policy, including legislation authorizing United States participation in the International Renewable Energy Agency. He drafted legislation to ease the transfer of closed military bases to local communities for economic development purposes, worked on the initial proposal and legislation creating the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and secured funds to establish the Marine Renewable Energy Center, which helps marine companies and researchers test ocean-based clean energy technology.

Awards and Recognition

Forest has received several honors for his public service, including the New England Federal Executive Board’s John Joseph Moakley Award for Exemplary Public Service.

He has received awards from the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association for his work on behalf of the fishing industry and from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod for his work to protect the Cape’s environment.

Education

Mark Forest received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1978. He obtained a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from Suffolk University in 1981. His studies concentrated on local government management, planning, finance, and economic development.

In 1977, Forest was a National Service “VISTA” volunteer, serving in Boston during the height of the desegregation controversy and assisting students in gaining access to public education services.

Community Service and Personal Life

He is a long-time resident of South Yarmouth, Massachusetts, where he and his wife, Carol, live and have raised their family.

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