After earning her bachelor of science in industrial management from Purdue University in the early 1980s, Amy Kennelly Viellieu entered the sales/marketing field as a representative in the National Marketing and Accounts Division of the IBM Corporation. After five years in this position, she held a series of sales positions in the corporate gift sector. Amy Kennelly Viellieu subsequently joined the volunteer team at the North Shore Country Day School in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois, ultimately leaving the organization after serving as head of major gifts.