Loren Marks is Co-Director (with Dr. David Dollahite) of the American Families of Faith Project in which more than 250 Christian, Jewish, and Muslim families from all eight regions of the United States have been interviewed. Findings from this ongoing project have resulted in over 100 articles in scholarly journals and three books.
From 2009-2015, Dr. Marks held the Kathryn Norwood and Claude Fussell Alumni Professorship at Louisiana State University where he was honored with college-level teaching awards in 2005, 2009, and 2013. Twice, in 2011 and in 2014, LSU nominated him for a National (Carnegie) CASE Professor of the Year Award.
Marks received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from BYU, and his Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. He joined the BYU School of Family Life in July 2015.
Dr. Marks has centered his research efforts on religion and families, including the book Sacred Matters (with Wes Burr and Randy Day). He has also studied children’s outcomes in various family forms—and strong African American families. His research has received national media attention from outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal.
Loren served a two-year LDS mission in Wisconsin (1991-1993). Loren and his wife, Sandra Martindale Marks, have been married since 1995 and are the parents of five dynamic children—Mishonne, Logan, Haley Renee, Denton, and Aliyah.