Forty Under 40: Mark Power

Fayetteville native Mark Power, 39, has been the executive director of development — the office that raises private gift support — at the University of Arkansas since 2007.
Power’s willingness to be patient, listen and build trust has been key to his success in raising funds. “I try to think of others, because nice matters,” he said.

That philosophy has proved useful. He came to the university in 2001 as the director of development for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food & Life Sciences and helped the Bumpers College and the Division of Agriculture raise more than $98 million during the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century.

“I feel very blessed to work with so many wonderful people who support the University of Arkansas,” he said.

Before joining the university, Power worked for the American Cancer Society in Little Rock from 1998 to 2001, serving as development director his final year. At Lyon College in Batesville, he worked as the assistant director of admissions from 1994 to 1998.

A 1994 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in history, Power is on the board of the Northside Rotary Club in Fayetteville. He also serves on the board of Fayetteville Creative Schools Inc. and the Northwest Arkansas chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.