Mark Rood was born in 1972 in Troy, Illinois. In the mid-1990`s, Rood studied composition under James Philips Woodard, a former student of Carlisle Floyd. Receiving his master’s degree in theology, Rood began teaching high school and began to weave the disciplines of music and theology together. Mark Rood currently lives with his wife Valerie in Murrayville, Il and teaches Catholic theology in Jacksonville, Il.