Mark Barden is co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Action Fund (SHPAF) and co-founder of Artist For Action. Since the tragic murder of his son, Daniel, during the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, Mark has dedicated himself to sparing other families the pain of losing children to gun violence.

Mark believes that thoughtful, sincere dialogue centered on protecting youth will lead us to shared common ground and nonpartisan solutions everyone can agree with. These include expanded background checks, secure storage of firearms, extreme risk protection laws, and other measures that are proven to prevent gun violence.

An accomplished professional musician with a BA in music and formal training in jazz and composition, Mark recently built a strong non-political coalition of international artists (including Billie Eilish, Peter Gabriel, Sheryl Crow, Nile Rodgers and more) to support the Artist For Action initiative in preventing gun violence and keeping our communities safe. The coalition has turned into a concert series that features both legendary and breakthrough talent who are passionate about the cause.