About
Mark Shelley has spent more than twenty years building the things that make organizations work: capable leaders, disciplined sales teams, systems that hold up under pressure, and cultures where people do their best work. He has led a 42-person organization supporting more than $200 million in annual sales, architected leadership development for 277 utility leaders across Ohio, and taught in both a K–12 classroom and a top-ranked college of
business. As Principal Consultant of Better Work Solutions, LLC, he brings that range to small and mid-sized organizations that need practical answers rather than theory.
His coaching rests on a conviction earned across five industries: strong businesses are built when leaders align people, processes, strategy, and culture around a common purpose. Mark helps owners and executives name the obstacle actually limiting growth, build a plan they will follow, and hold the discipline to execute it. The work is relationship-centered and results-measured; clients leave with clearer priorities, stronger accountability, and momentum that outlasts the engagement.
Leadership and organizational development
At American Electric Power, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, Mark served as Employee Development and Administration Manager and prior as Customer Services Manager. He architected a leadership-development initiative reaching 277 leaders across Ohio, grounded in more than 1,500 in-person employee interviews at 42 service centers, and helped design the AEP Ohio Leadership Academy and the VOLT program for high-potential talent.
He rebuilt onboarding for new and transferred employees, improving day-one readiness and shaping enterprise processes that ultimately served approximately 18,000 people. He led an advanced driving-training rollout for more than 6,000 employees who drive for work, supported harassment-prevention training for roughly 1,500 transmission and distribution leaders, and directed a corporate training review that sharpened the relevance and compliance alignment of the company’s learning content. As Customer Services Manager, he led a cross-functional review of AEP Ohio’s forestry strategy using customer-journey mapping and Voice of the Customer methods; the review surfaced 43 improvement opportunities and produced a new regional forestry support-management role.
Sales leadership and revenue growth
Before AEP, Mark built a senior sales and operations career in educational publishing with Harcourt Achieve, McGraw-Hill Education, Zaner-Bloser, Steck-Vaughn, and The Flippen Group.
As Vice President and Director of Sales Support and Enablement at Harcourt Achieve, he built and led a 42-person organization supporting 134 sales representatives and more than $200 million in annual sales on a $3.5 million operating budget. Expanding inside-sales capability generated a $1 million increase, 18 percent, in the first full year; his integration of Saxon Publishing’s sales support during acquisition saved more than $600,000. As Regional Vice President of Sales for the Midwest, he managed more than $12 million in annual sales across Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana, realigned territories using student-population and funding data, and created the “Follow-the-Funding” strategy later adopted nationally.
At McGraw-Hill Education, Mark led national and global inside-sales operations for a team responsible for more than $50 million in annual revenue, delivering 108 percent of the Advanced Placement sales goal. As Sales Operations Manager, he built the Product Information Center and Product Retirement Center, which handle more than 20,000 product inquiries annually; that work produced $8.2 million in cost avoidance and lifted the 24-hour customer-response rate from 26 percent to more than 80 percent in four months. At Zaner-Bloser he directed product marketing, consultants, events, and sales support for PreK–8 programs generating more than $40 million a year, and at The Flippen Group he secured a metropolitan school-district agreement worth more than $350,000 within his first six months.
The educator’s discipline
Mark’s commitment to development is not only professional. He serves as an Intervention Specialist Teacher with Olentangy Local School District, supporting K–12 students with moderate to intensive needs through individualized instruction aligned to their education programs and Ohio Learning Standards. He is also an Adjunct Faculty Lecturer in Marketing and Logistics at The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, teaching Foundations of Strategic Sales within the Strategic Sales Certificate program. His students learn ethical, value-focused B2B selling through role plays, simulations, and case work; the same instincts, meeting people where they are and building capability step by step, shape how he coaches.
Mark coaches from seats he has actually occupied: business leader, sales executive, operations professional, educator, and consultant. He partners with clients to build stronger leadership habits, sharpen systems, develop people, and pursue growth that lasts.
Education, Certifications, and Boards
Executive Master of Business Administration · The Ohio State University
Master of Arts in Teaching · Kent State University
Bachelor of Arts in English · The University of Akron
Certified Professional Business Coach · Professional Business Coaches Alliance
Professional development: SPIN Selling, Huthwaite International; Change Management Facilitator Training, Status Un-Quo; Systematic Curriculum and Instructional Development Certification; DACUM Process Training; The R Factor (E + R = O); Mitigating Bias Training; Safe Space Conversation Training; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging development; Networking Breakthrough Academy.
Designations Achieved
Certified Professional Business Coach · Professional Business Coaches Alliance
Areas of Expertise
Coaching and leadership: Professional business coaching; executive and leadership coaching; leadership development; high-potential talent development
Strategy and execution: Strategic planning and business execution; organizational alignment and operational effectiveness; change management and process improvement; program and project management; KPI development, analytics, and performance measurement
Sales: Sales leadership and consultative selling; sales management, operations, and enablement; business development and marketing strategy
People and culture: Team performance, employee engagement, and culture transformation; learning and development strategy; training design, facilitation, and implementation; onboarding and workforce development
Customer and stakeholder: Customer experience; Voice of the Customer; customer-journey mapping; stakeholder engagement, consensus building, and cross-functional collaboration
Education: K–12 intervention services and individualized learning support; higher-education instruction in strategic and B2B sales.
Specialties
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