Mark Takano was elected to the Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees in 1990 and is the Board's longest serving member presently. Mr. Takano is a Member-At-Large. During his tenure on the RCCD board, he also has served five terms on the California Community Colleges Trustees board and is past chair of the Inland Valley Trustee and CEO Association. Mr. Takano served as a member of the Chancellor's Commission on Innovation in California Community Colleges.

Mr. Takano is involved with many community groups, including, but not limited to, the Community Advisory Board of the Children's Spine Foundation, the Children's Coalition Executive Board, the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of the California Democratic Party, the Association of Latino Community College Trustees, Asian Pacific Americans in Higher Education, the Chancellor's Asian Pacific Islander Community Advisory Center at UCR, and served as chairman of the Riverside Mayor's Task Force on the Digital Divide. He is a recipient of the Martin Luther King Visionaries award.

A native of Riverside, Mr. Takano graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's degree in Government and currently teaches English and social studies at Rialto High School.