Mark Gruder is originally from The Bronx and Queens, New York. In 1994, he and his wife moved to Saratoga County, N.Y., where Mark worked in the food service industry as a chef and chef manager at various food service venues.
After attending a Vocational Education Teacher Certification Program through SUNY Oswego, Mark became a culinary arts instructor, teaching at-risk and incarcerated youth at the Glenmont Job Corps for three years. He then taught at the Tryon Girls Center, a secure facility in Johnstown, N.Y., for seven years, after which he became the school principal.
In 2018, Mark and his wife retired to Sarasota, Florida. Shortly after settling in, he attended performances at the Sarasota Jazz Festival and became a volunteer with the Jazz Club. This experience led him to serve on the Jazz Club Board of Directors for over two years.
Mark has a background in music and played trumpet for over twenty years. He is also an avid jazz fan. While serving on the Jazz Club Board, a fellow board member and WSLR programmer, Carlos Pagan, invited him to try out as a WSLR programmer. Nearly five years later, Mark continues to happily broadcast Jazz and World Music on The Blue Groove, which airs Wednesdays from 11 AM to 1 PM on WSLR.
Currently, he also serves as the Vice President of the Centergate Estates Villages, Section II, condo association.