Mark Ivandick to lead Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Program 

Mark J. Ivandick, Managing Attorney, is the new Coordinator of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness Program (PAIMI).  He takes over from Terry Fowler who is now working for Hospice of St. John. Mark joined The Legal Center in 1999 to pursue his passion for defending the rights of people with mental illness.  Mark has worked on all of The Legal Center’s protection and advocacy programs over the past eight years, but he has specialized in the investigation of complaints about the treatment of people with mental illness in Colorado’s county jails, prisons, and the San Carlos Psychiatric Prison. He has also addressed systemic issues in the criminal justice system that disproportionately impact individuals with mental illness. 

“I look forward to working alongside Patricia Doyle, a rights advocate in the program, and collaborating with Nancy Tucker who chairs the PAIMI Advisory Council,” Mark Ivandick says. “Together we can build a program that will make a difference in the lives of people with mental illness.

Under Mark’s leadership, PAIMI will continue to advocate for some of Colorado’s most vulnerable residents: people in institutions—including nursing homes and psychiatric facilities; people with mental illness in the criminal justice system as well as those on parole or probation; and people with disabilities who are struggling to obtain mental health care, housing, education and job training in the community. 

Prior to joining The Legal Center, Mark was in private practice in Tennessee.  He graduated in 1973 from the United States Military Academy, served in the U.S. Army as an airborne infantry officer and as a member of The Judge Advocate General’s Corps with the 101st Airborne Division.  He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, 6th and 10th U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, The U.S. Claims Court and all Courts of Military Review.