Councilman Hugel was commissioned as an Ensign in The United States Navy in June 1977 after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. He was accepted by Admiral Rickover into the Navy Nuclear Propulsion Program and was subsequently assigned to sea tours in nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and a nuclear-powered cruiser. He earned a Navy Surface Warfare Officer qualification and was later accepted for lateral transfer into the Navy’s Engineering Duty Officer Program. 

In June 1992, Mark completed his graduate education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, earning a Master of Science degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He subsequently served in acquisition, shipbuilding, and ship maintenance tours as Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, and Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA. 

In his third tour of duty at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, he was the 100th Shipyard Commander.  After promotion to Flag rank, he was Deputy Director for Fleet Readiness on the Chief of Naval Operations staff in the Pentagon. His last active duty assignment was as Deputy Commander, Logistics, Maintenance, and Industrial Operations at the Naval Sea Systems Command, where he oversaw more than 26,000 civil service employees in the nation’s shipyards.  

 After retiring from the Navy in 2009, he returned to Portsmouth and began his employment with CACI International, Inc., where he was selected to lead CACI’s Norfolk, Virginia office.  During his tenure at CACI, he has been the Senior Vice President managing Navy logistics and, subsequently, the company’s entire Logistics and Materiel Readiness market. He has recently moved to part-time employment with CACI, providing strategic and business development advice and continuing his lifelong work as a Navy logistics and maintenance professional. 

He and his wife, Luana, built their first home in Portsmouth in 1986 and returned there when he retired from the Navy. In 2016, they moved to their current residence in the Sterling Point section of Churchland. Mark represented Portsmouth on the Tidewater Community College Board of Directors, is a voluntary board member of Starbase Victory, and is Chairman of the Board of Directors at The Up Center. He serves on the Portsmouth Mayor’s Military Affairs Committee and the Portsmouth Public Schools Career & Technical Education Advisory Committee. He also serves as the American Society of Naval Engineers' National President.

He currently serves as City Council Liaison to:

Council Liaison to School Board

Council Liaison to Portsmouth Port & Industrial Commission

Council Liaison to Ports and Virginia Maritime Association

Council Liaison to Mayor’s Military Affairs Committee

Council Liaison to Planning Commission