The tribal chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians for more than 15 years, Mark Macarro hails from multiple generations of Pechanga leaders. He is deeply committed to the preservation of the Pechanga people’s unique tribal identity through the cultivation of their language and traditional ways of life. A master of the Luiseño native language of Cham'téela, Mark Macarro regularly sings Nukwáanish funeral songs at ceremonial wakes at various Southern California Indian reservations. He is also a skilled bird singer who mastered hundreds of bird songs as an apprentice of Torres-Martinez Reservation elder Robert Levi.

As part of his efforts to keep the Luiseño language and the Pechanga culture alive, Mark Macarro played a key role in the development of the Chamákkilawish School, an elementary school on the Pechanga reservation that provides a diverse curriculum in both Luiseño and English. Under Mr. Macarro’s leadership, the Chamákkilawish School secured full accreditation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.