Presenters

Mark Poole has been with the North Carolina Department of Commerce for 16 years and currently serves as the director of the commerce finance center. While in this role, Poole manages a variety of the department’s grant programs and discretionary incentives, including the Major Events, Games and Attractions Grant Fund and other programs that support economic development activities within business, industry and sports across the state. Prior to his work at Commerce, Poole spent 15 years in Washington, D.C., and three years in Chicago, working in a variety of capacities that spanned venture capital, international nonprofit, corporate communications and the federal government.  

Poole is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in political science, and the Kenan-Flagler School of Business with a master’s degree in business administration.