DETROIT — The Detroit RiverFront Conservancy Board of Directors has named Mark Wallace as the organization’s new CEO and president. In his new role, Wallace will oversee the continued development and permanent stewardship of the Detroit riverfront that will ultimately provide 5.5 miles of contiguous access along the Detroit River, an international waterway bordering Downtown Detroit and shared with Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Wallace joins the DRFC from Hines Interests, where he has supported several multi-million dollar development projects in Detroit, Chicago, and Toronto over the past 10 years. Most recently, he has served as the project manager of River Point, a 1.3-Million-square-foot, mixed-use development on the Chicago River that includes a public park and an extension of the city’s famed Chicago River Walk.
Wallace began his real estate development career on the Detroit riverfront in 2004 as an assistant project manager for Hines, supporting the first major portion of the then newly established RiverWalk. Prior to pursuing a real estate development track, Wallace taught English for three years at both Detroit Public School’s Crocket Technical High School and Horizons Upward Bound, a summer education program dedicated to create first generation college graduates in Detroit and Pontiac.
Wallace earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in public policy from Princeton University and the University of Michigan, respectively. A dedicated Detroit resident, he currently holds a seat on the YMCA Boll Center board of directors, and serves on the advisory boards of Kiva Detroit and Hatch Detroit.
