The Niles Partners . . . . The Right Choice

We understand the needs of non-profit organizations, community service groups and volunteer boards. And our combined 25 years working with Houston non-profits means we are familiar with this market, its fund-raising climate and resources. We are professionals. We are prepared to deliver a full range of development, planning and training services to improve your organization’s performance and effectiveness.

Mark Niles, Principal has two passions: 1) to help people maximize their effectiveness, and 2) to apply “best business practices” to the non-profit arena. After ten years in Human Resources working with clients such as Dow Chemical, Albemarle, City National Bank and other manufacturing concerns – specifically in the areas of leadership development and general systems, Niles seized on the idea of applying the targeted, practical solutions he gained in the corporate world to the challenges of non-profit groups in today’s trying economy. Niles is a member of the Houston Association of Fundraising Professionals. He earned his BSBA from Boston University and his Masters from Abilene Christian.

Cooky Mays, CFRE, Partner, has 15 years in local fundraising and non-profit management. She has held senior development positions with Boys & Girls Harbor of Houston and the Alzheimer’s Association for Houston and Southeast Texas. For 8 years she served as Executive Director for Spring Branch Independent School District and helped to found their Foundation. She is a director of Boys & Girls Harbor, the Houston Junior Forum and the Advisory Board of the School of Human Ecology at the University of Texas’ College of Natural Science. Mays earned her Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation in 2000. She is past president of the Greater Houston Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and chaired her chapter’s National Philanthropy Day in 2005. She was recently elected to the City Council of Bunker Hill Village. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin.