Mario is principal of his Vermont-based law firm, Hankerson Law Group, PLLC, where he serves diverse clients. Areas of practice include corporate, startups, intellectual property (IP), real estate, and criminal defense. His professional experience also includes leadership roles across a variety of sectors: as developer and founder of Drive Development Labs, LLC, a software company; former chief operating officer and general counsel for AviantLogic, Inc., a tech startup in New York City; former associate and compliance officer at Equity Services, Inc., of National Life Group; and as a former deputy state’s attorney in Windsor County, Vt.

Before coming to Vermont, Mario attended East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn., where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology, a master’s degree in criminal justice, a master’s degree in computer and information science, and a certificate in entrepreneurial leadership. He was an All-American football player at East Tennessee and later played briefly in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens. After earning his JD at VLS in 2007, he completed MBA courses at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H.

Mario is active in his off time, volunteering and serving on nonprofit boards, including for Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vt., teaching Computer Science courses at a local community college in addition to VLS, and formerly coaching youth football.