Mark is a sociologist who applies research for improving communications. He designs and leads high-quality quantitative and qualitative research across culture and language to gather insights and inform thought leadership for agencies and leaders of global organizations, governments, trade associations, multi-national corporations and brands, and nonprofit organizations to understand and segment audiences; to test and evaluate communications campaigns; to measure employee experience and industry, corporate, and brand reputation. Many of Mark’s clients work in healthcare, nutrition, life sciences and biotechnology, finance, and education. They include the American Association of School Librarians, American College of Surgeons, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, healthcare.gov, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maryland Health Connection, Massachusetts Health Connector, U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, Minnesota Department of Human Services, National Aging and Disability Transportation Center, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Partnership for Prescription Assistance, United Nations Foundation, UNHCR—the UN Refugee Agency, and US Agency for International Development.He has been a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) since 1987 and has served on the Advisory Committee of the International Public Relations Research Conference since 2019.

Mark directed public opinion and communications research for use in strategic planning, message development, and improving the effectiveness of communications tools and methods. In his role, he managed hundreds of public opinion surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews. Mark specialized in risk communications research and in assessing public involvement strategies as part of his work to facilitate the siting of needed industrial facilities perceived to be dangerous.Mark's clients included the Nuclear Energy Institute, Dominion; Entergy; Exelon; IEA of Japan; International Atomic Energy Agency; Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry of Japan; Mitsubishi Corporation; National Hydropower Association; New World Foundation; U.S. Department of Homeland Security (FEMA), D.C.; Consumer Aerosol Products Council; and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service.

As part of the Nuclear Energy Institute, Richards managed research projects for one of the most challenging social science research programs undertaken by an industry to manage its reputation. That program included hundreds of research studies to understand the opinions and mindset of a variety of stakeholder audiences, to test messages and communications materials, and to track and evaluate NEI's communications and advertising program.Mark's literature review and analysis of contraversial facility siting, "Siting Industrial Facilities: Lessons from the Social Science Literature," has been a guidebook for the nuclear industry and for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and has been used in classes at the University of California at Berkeley and New York University. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has retained his services to advise government and industry leaders in Europe and South America and has used his work in its handbooks.