Mark Andrew Komisky was born on May 13, 1965, in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He died on April 17, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland, after an 18-month struggle with prostate cancer.
After spending his early years in Nashville, Mark moved to Minneapolis. He graduated from the Academy of the Holy Angels, where he was president of the senior class and editor of the school newspaper. He attended Johns Hopkins University and majored in Political Science. At Hopkins, he became student body president—a position he started networking for as a curly-haired freshman. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University School of Law. According to those closest to him, Mark was quirky with an irreverent sense of humor, smart as hell, interested in everything, and the greatest friend.
Combining his legal, business, and technology expertise, Mark carved out a unique professional life. His boundless energy, innovative thinking, and entrepreneurial spirit inspired countless companies and individuals throughout his career. He was co-founder and CEO of Bluefire Security Technologies, served as COO of Oculis Labs, and mentored many technology startups in the Baltimore region, including BaltiVirtual and RedShred.
Through his consulting firm, Inclings, Mark provided his expertise to entrepreneurs and investors. He taught the capstone course for aspiring entrepreneurs in the Masters in Technology Entrepreneurship program in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, and he advised the Hexcite Digital Health Accelerator at Johns Hopkins. He founded and was the program director of the Chesapeake Digital Health Exchange, and he was the Inaugural Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University. Most recently, Mark was the Director of Technology Development at Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, a role he loved because he could engage and guide faculty through creative pathways for commercializing their discoveries. He was a dynamic force who left an indelible mark everywhere he worked.
The family Mark created with his wife, Kim, and son, Nick, was a loving, intellectually curious, and adventurous partnership that brought him immeasurable joy. Priceless family memories were forged while queuing at Wimbledon, exploring caves in the Dordogne, hiking in the Alps and Adirondacks, and relaxing lakeside in Vermont.
Whether at home or abroad, Mark’s knack for languages and unerring sense of direction always kept his family on track. Mark relished celebrating every holiday with family, especially Halloween at home and Thanksgiving with his extended family in Nashville. He carved the most extraordinary Halloween pumpkins, created the cleverest Halloween costumes (ten-month-old Nick’s vampire costume was unforgettable), and cooked the tastiest post-Thanksgiving turkey soups.
Mark is survived by his beloved spouse, Dr. Kim Klein, and treasured son, Nicholas James Komisky. He is survived by siblings John (Dee) Komisky, Mount Joy, TN; Phillip Komisky, Manchester, NH; Dennis Komisky, Manchester, NH; and Judy (Jay) Orr, Nashville, TN. He is also dearly missed by seven nephews, one niece, and many friends and colleagues. He was predeceased by his parents; sister, Catherine Komisky Barcomb and brother, Stephen Komisky.
