Elise Willding

Elise Willding is from Dallas, Texas, and is placed at the United States Department of War. Elise is the Founder and Principal of M Partners, an advisory firm providing financial and strategic advice across the full capital structure, including debt and equity financing, recapitalizations, restructurings, acquisitions, divestitures, and special situations. Prior to founding M Partners, Elise spent seven years with Bain & Company advising corporate and private equity clients spanning industries from industrials to higher education on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, operating model design, and organizational transformation. After Bain, Elise served as Chief Strategy Officer of a middle-market, private equity-backed home services platform where she led the integration of seven operating companies, structured and managed transformation initiatives, and served as an executive coach. Elise holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and both a Master of Science in Systems Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Management Science from Southern Methodist University. Elise received SMU’s distinguished M Award for leadership and service.