the Bulletin May 2025

, EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT Correctional Services Assistant Mark Famisan C orrectional Services Assistant Mark Famisan pulled his chair from the

a stock clerk at Kmart. He then moved to California, eventually settling in Orange County, where he found a job in manufacturing with an Irvine based company that provided optical equipment for high-profile clients, including NASA and the US Air Force. After the company downsized in 2001, Mark was looking for a new career path. His wife Rowena, who he met while vacationing in the Philippines more than 20 years ago, was working as a Correctional Services Technician for the Sheriff’s Department. “She encouraged me to apply here,” he said. “I applied and was hired as a Correctional Services Technician and then we went to the CST academy together.” The couple graduated from the CST Academy and then were assigned to different facilities. In January 2022, Mark transitioned to CSA after the department made changes to its correctional services classification. Regimented with a love for pristinely organized spaces, Mark is mainly responsible for the clothing operation at the IRC, but he is always willing and eager to help wherever he is needed.

conference room table and settled in with an immediate question, “Why did they pick me? There are so many others who work hard.” Mark’s reaction to being selected as this month’s Employee Spotlight is likely one of the many reasons his supervisors at the Intake Release Center sought him out as a shining example of a dedicated employee. Humility and work ethics were instilled in Mark from a very young age. As one of four children of a retired US Navy sailor stationed in the Philippines, Mark came from a home where the beds were always made and the rooms were always clean. “My dad was very strict,” he said. “Dinner was at a certain time, and if you weren’t at the table at that time, then you didn’t eat. Maybe if I didn’t learn that discipline, I wouldn’t be here.” At age 18, Mark left the Philippines to join a friend in New Jersey, where he worked for a printing press. After a couple years, he joined his relatives in New Orleans and began working as

As one of the department’s most tenured CSAs, Mark said he likes to impart wisdom to the younger generation, encouraging them to do the work that is in front of them, and do it well. “I know a lot of CSAs are looking ahead to be in green, but I always tell them to just do your job and always be humble,” he said. “Pass this first and then move forward.” Mark added that it gives him pride to see personnel in the department he once trained and worked alongside advancing in their careers and serving in leadership roles. “I see some of them now and they have stripes or bars,” he said. “I like to see that, and a lot of the time, they remember me.” Thank you, Mark, for being such a dedicated member of the OC Sheriff family!

the BULLETIN •MAY 2025 | page 5