Mark Newfield

Mark Newfield (B.S. ’87) wasn’t always so sure about his own potential. Though he did “reasonably well” at Northern Virginia Community College, the Washington, D.C., native thought a four-year college education was out of reach.

“My two worries were ‘Am I smart enough?’ and ‘How am I going to pay for it?’” he remembers.

When Newfield transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University, he was an English major and worked full time as a bartender. But an accounting elective changed his life. It was in that School of Business class that he met professor John Sperry, Ph.D.

“It was a very fundamental class,” says Newfield. “Sperry noticed that I was good at it and suggested that I consider a major in accounting. I took him up on the idea.”

Newfield’s financial burden lessened when he got married in his junior year. His wife, Natalie, worked so he could go to school full time in his senior year without having to work. This focus allowed him to excel in the classroom.

After graduation, Newfield set his sights on a consulting career and began working at Accenture, a global management consulting company. He secured the job with help from Sperry, who recommended Newfield to the company. Newfield would stay with Accenture for 14 years.

Looking back on his college experience, two important factors stood out — a wonderful mentor in Sperry and the ability to focus on his studies without financial worry. That’s why Newfield and his wife established the Newfield Opportunity Scholarship in Business for incoming freshman.

“The long-term objective is to provide full funding for deserving business students. When I wasn’t worried about paying for my education, I did much better and thought if we could provide something like this for someone, it would be a good thing,” he says. “For me, successful giving is a function of finding something you love to do, then finding the way to do it,” says Newfield.