Mark Hilinski

Mark and his wife, Kym, co-founded Hilinski’s Hope, a nonprofit organization that honors their son, Tyler, who passed by suicide January 16, 2018. Mark has worked with ESPN’s E:60 platform and Sports Illustrated to bring the Hilinski’s Hope story to the public. He led the team that brought #3Day and College Football Mental Health Awareness Week (CFMHAW) to life in October 2020, and was made a charity affiliate of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. Mark and Kym have jointly given over 100 “Tyler Talks'' at campuses and athletic facilities across the country. They lead by example through sharing Tyler’s story openly and without fear, to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental illness, and to inspire others to help. In 2022, Mark was ranked by ESPN as 1 of 11 most powerful voices in College Football.

Prior to Hilinski’s Hope, Mark was the co-founder and Executive VP, Sales and Business Development at The Retail Equation (TRE). Starting the company in 1999, with two other seasoned entrepreneurs, Mark helped lead the company’s growth strategy for over 20 years.  TRE was acquired by Appriss by transaction in 2015.  Appriss Inc. was valued at over $1B at its latest round of financing in 2018.