New Staff and Board Members
Our LINK family continues to grow and expand, and we’re excited to welcome a new staff member and two new board members!
Nicole Taylor, Director of Scholar Support, LINK Unlimited Scholars
For more than a decade, Nicole Taylor has lived her passion, providing a continuum of support to historically underrepresented students across elementary and high schools and post-graduation, including college, career, and internship resources. Her journey specializing in increased post-secondary access, persistence, and attainment rates for college preparation began with the Chicago Public Schools in 2006 and has expanded statewide to date. Additional focus areas encompass coaching teachers and administrators to set college and career goals, creating and implementing curriculum, and developing strategic plans to increase quality post-secondary enrollment, acceptance, and persistence. In her spare time, Nicole enjoys traveling, dancing, and spending time with family.
Mark Williams, LINK Board Member
Mark is a big LINK supporter, having served as a Mentor for eight years. Professionally, as managing director in the Global Debt Private Placements Group at BofA Securities, he heads the team responsible for marketing and executing private placements across a variety of industries in North America, Australia, and Europe. Since joining the private placements group in 1997, he has been involved in the execution of nearly 400 transactions aggregating nearly $80 billion. Mark also leads the origination and structuring activities for the group’s sports-related transactions. Over the last 20 years, he has led more than 125 transactions aggregating approximately $34 billion for leagues, teams, and venues throughout the sector globally. Prior to joining the Private Placements Group, Mark worked in Bank of America’s Atlanta Corporate Finance Group as well as the Procter & Gamble Company and IBM. He earned a BSE in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University and an MBA at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.
Tom Sampson, LINK Board Member
A longtime friend of LINK, Tom has served as a Mentor and donor since 2008! An accomplished executive and independent director with a track record of developing board partnerships with management that drive strong results for all stakeholders, he is recognized as a transformational leader who consistently achieves results through devising executable strategies, driving tight fiscal discipline, and creating engaged cultures. He serves on the board of three Private Equity-owned companies: Fontaine Sante (Arbor Investments), Belvika Trading (Fulcrum Capital Partners), and Gourmet Culinary Partners (AUA). Tom brings more than 40 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. Previously, he served as CEO of Peacock Foods, one of the largest outsourced manufacturers of major food brands. He also spent 28 years at Kraft Foods in a variety of executive roles, including a decade as the president of the North American Foodservice & Ingredients Division. Tom has served on the board and advisory board of the Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center for more than 17 years. He holds an MBA from Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and a BA degree from Notre Dame University.
Welcome to LINK! We’re so grateful for your investment in LINK Unlimited Scholars and looking forward to your role in helping us amplify LINK’s mission and impact!
