Celebrating Mark Furlong’s Career at Thresholds
CHICAGO, IL (June 4, 2026) Today, we celebrate the incredible career of Mark Furlong, and wish him well on his retirement journey.
“We take care of our staff, and we take care of our members. This is our north star. Every decision goes through that lens.” -Mark Furlong
Mark’s commitment to these values has not wavered since he started at Thresholds in 1986 as a job coach for the Young Adult Program. While this ethos has always been a core part of agency culture, Mark has been a standard-bearer throughout the four decades of his Thresholds career.
From 1987 to 1989, Mark provided mobile job support to members as part of a research project that contributed to the development of the IPS model of employment services. From 1989 to 1992, Mark was a Community Support Specialist at Bridge North. Entering the Jane Addams College of Social Work with Debbie Pavick, Sheila O’Neil and Carrie Mastoris in 1987, Mark received his Master’s degree in social work in 1993. From 1993 to 2015, his clinical experience at Thresholds spanned many programs. He worked in intake for Thresholds South, served on a Mobile Assessment Unit (now HOP), returned to Bridge North as a team leader, an assistant program director and program director, became vice president of South Side programs, and from 2011 to 2015 was senior vice president of clinical operations.
Some of Mark’s most cherished memories from his time as a clinical leader came between 1999 and 2006 when Thresholds held an annual all-agency Music Camp. One weekend a year, a group of about 25 staff and 50 members would travel to a camp in the woods and spend the days writing songs, making instruments, singing around campfires, and recording music. Beyond Music Camp, Mark fostered artistic collaboration throughout the year, recording members’ musical talents for two CD compilations and helping to organize an annual member arts and music festival.
Mark has been part of launching a few of the many Thresholds innovative programs. In 2005, Mark helped to supervise the startup of the Peer Success program. In 2006, Mark helped to oversee the DirectConnect project that successfully transitioned the first 50 class members from nursing facilities to independent apartments in the community. This pilot became the model for the State of Illinois for services under the Williams Consent Decree. In 2010, along with Brent Peterson and Fernando Valles, Mark was part of launching the Thresholds Veterans Project.
In 2013, Mark received a Master of Nonprofit Administration degree from North Park University. When Mark became Thresholds’ Chief Operating Officer in 2015, his commitment to members and staff became system-focused, working with his team to provide support and service to the Thresholds staff who serve members every day. Beyond Thresholds, in 2017, Mark joined the board as a founding member of the Illinois Health Practice Alliance (IHPA), a state-wide collaborative of 120 behavioral health providers. The IHPA is an independent practice association that has helped align payer and provider incentives to move the system of care toward one that is value-based and focuses on higher quality care, better outcomes, and reduced total cost of care.
One of the most meaningful experiences as COO has been working closely with his team and watching them continuously thrive and deliver amid increasing challenges, especially during the COVID pandemic. Mark spearheaded the COVID Continuity of Operations Planning Committee or COOP, a committed group of clinical and administrative leaders who coordinated the agency’s response to a myriad of challenges presented by the pandemic, from how clinicians delivered community-based services to how facilities staff kept program and residential buildings safe and clean. Mark’s weekly all-staff emails during the first few months of the pandemic were a master class in leadership, keeping everyone informed in his trademark calm and gracious way.
“I’m so grateful to the entire staff at Thresholds, who have always stepped up to do what is needed. I’m inspired by Thresholds members who work so hard on their recovery. And I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of Thresholds all these years.”