Mark Willey graduated from Northwestern University with a joint JD-MBA degree from the Pritzker School of Law in Chicago, Illinois and the Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois. Prior to law and business school, Mark graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BA in the Plan II Liberal Arts Honors program and a BBA in Finance at the McCombs School of Business.

Mark brings a wealth of diverse professional experiences to Vela Wood, including CPG/retail strategy and finance, K-12 education, management consulting, and entrepreneurship. He began his career as a Finance Analyst at Frito Lay, and advanced his skills as part of the Strategy and Digital team at 7-Eleven. Mark pivoted his career into public education, serving as the Chief of Staff to the CEO of Uplift Education, a large charter school network in DFW. He then rejoined the corporate world as a management consultant with Blue Ridge Partners assisting PE firms with portfolio company revenue acceleration projects. Mark also founded and ran a fitness studio, Offbeat Boxing and Cycling, for nearly five years prior to joining VW.

Mark serves as a Big Brother in the Big Brother Big Sisters program and a mentor in the Boulevard Fellowship. He is also on the Community Co-Design team for The Museum School of East Dallas, a new charter school in Far East Dallas set to open in the fall of 2026.

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.

– Steve Prefontaine ,”Pre”

Fun Facts:

  • He performed in his first ever musical in Law School with an eye patch on after almost losing his eye to an infection a few weeks before the show.
  • He ran his first Boston marathon without a front tooth, which was fixed just five days before his wedding.
  • Inspired by Ferris Bueller, he proposed to his wife on a float in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dallas.
  • He currently teaches spin at Terlingo Cycle in Oak Lawn, and his top two artists on Spotify are Taylor Swift and Daddy Yankee.
  • Every Fall, he likes to try as many Pumpkin Spice flavored items as he can. His record so far is 44.

Education:

  • Northwestern University School of Law, J.D.
  • Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, MBA
  • University of Texas at Austin, BA in the Plan II Honors Program
  • University of Texas at Austin, BBA in Finance with a minor in Accounting