About Mark

Mark Conklin is a co-founder of Wise Counsel Inc., and is committed to transforming families, leaders and  organizations. In July 2018, Mark retired from his role as Director, Staff Leadership Development at Chick-fil-A Inc. where he focused on the strength and sustainability of the CFA staff leadership pipeline.

He began his career with the company in 1997 as a business consultant. In 2002, he assumed responsibility for Chick-fil-A leadership development programs. Over his 21 year career at CFA, Mark  designed, developed and delivered a range of leadership programs to create effective servant leaders who could operate successfully in a high growth, global, diverse work environment.

Prior to joining Chick-fil-A, Mark spent eight years working in higher education. He also served on active duty as a non-commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.

Mark is a frequent public speaker and has consulted on a range of leadership topics for families, businesses, and non-profit organizations.

A summa cum laude from Nyack College, Mark holds a Master of Divinity degree with a Marriage and Family Therapy concentration from Alliance Theological Seminary. He is also a  graduate of Harvard Business School and is a doctoral candidate in Global Leadership Studies.

Mark has served on the board of trustees for Cross International, Focus on iThemba and his local church elder board. He is a Trustee Emeritus at Strong Rock Christian School and currently serves on the board of the With Open Eyes Foundation. A native of Pennsylvania, he and his wife, Joy, have been married 35 years and have two adult children, JohnMark and Sarah and a son-in-law John. Joy and Mark reside outside of Atlanta, Ga.