Keela is CEO of ARK Venture Services which provides back-office professional services to growing businesses, Venture Capital firms and their portfolio companies. She brings 32 years of experience in business and accounting, with a career that spans public accounting, executive search, nonprofit leadership, and operational management. She served as Chief Administrative Officer at WAVE Ventures, where she built the shared services platform and operational infrastructure that supports both the firm and its portfolio companies.
Keela began her career as a CPA in public accounting, working with closely held corporate entities. She later founded and led an executive search and professional staffing firm, serving clients in the accounting, tax, and consulting industries. Her work consistently focused on building and restructuring business teams, emphasizing operational efficiency and performance across both for-profit and nonprofit sectors.
Before joining WAVE, Keela served as Vice President of Accounting for a research and development firm. She helped scale financial operations as the company raised $92M to advance their research.
She holds a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of North Texas and has served in leadership roles on several nonprofit boards and in church ministries. She is the recipient of the 2025 Carl Smith Outstanding Mentor award. Outside of work, Keela enjoys volunteering, boating, and spending time with her family—especially her grandchildren.
Biography
Keela has over 30 years of business experience as a CPA in public accounting, working with start-ups and non-profits. After several years in public accounting, Keela launched an executive search and professional staffing firm servicing accounting, tax and consulting firms. She’s revamped or built business teams from the ground up focusing on efficiencies and excellence in the for profit and non-profit sectors. Keela recently served as VP of Accounting for a research and development firm. She joined Waco Ventures as Chief Administrative Officer and is developing shared services platforms and operations for management and portfolio companies. She’s served on several non-profit boards and in church leadership. Keela earned an MS in Accounting from the University of North Texas. She also enjoys volunteering, boating and spending time with family – especially her grandkids.
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