Mark Paul Arabo (born February 17, 1983) is a Chaldean-American businessman, San Diego community leader, and global humanitarian. He is a human rights activist for the Chaldean community and speaks to the national US media, advocating greater US engagement since the Islamic State has threatened the Christian community in Iraq. Arabo was chosen by Voice of San Diego as the Voice for Refuge for 2014 for his relentless work pressing the Obama Administration to provide humanitarian aid to religious minorities in Iraq. In 2015, Voice of San Diego panelists recognized Arabo as an "emerging leader to watch" in the coming year. Arabo has been featured on all major news stations including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and The Wall Street Journal. In November 2019, Mark Arabo was tapped by Governor Gavin Newsom to fill a vacancy within the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB). As a board member he is responsible for assisting the Governor in performing the duties and responsibilities required by the Federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014. His appointment brings new business and workforce experience to the CWDB as Arabo has been involved extensively in employee workforce expansion in his hometown of San Diego, California. Arabo was a member of the National Finance Committee for President Joe Biden. As one of the 800 volunteer fundraisers for President Joe Biden, he has been an early supporter of his campaign since April 2019. In July 2020, Arabo was formally appointed by the Joe Biden campaign as a delegate for the de facto Presidential nominee at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. Arabo was tapped to represent the state of California at the national convention. Arabo is serving as an at-large delegate, meaning that the position came as a result of an unelected appointment by the Biden campaign for the entirety of California. Early life and education Arabo was born into an Iraqi Chaldean Christian family. The Arabo family immigrated from Iraq to the United States. Their first business venture was a Wrigley's Supermarket in San Diego. This was Mark Arabo's first experience with the retail grocery business. Eventually, the Arabo family managed a chain of supermarkets throughout San Diego. He attended Valhalla High School before graduating from San Diego State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. Career After graduating he was offered a position within the Anheuser-Busch sales team in San Diego. During