[4][5] He attended Bates College in Lewiston, Maine graduating in 1973 with degrees in economics and mathematics, cum laude and in Phi Beta Kappa.
[6][4] He first joined Merrill Lynch & Co. in 1992, working in their New York City offices as director of financial planning.
[4] He was appointed the chief financial officer (CFO) of the firm from 1993 to 1998 after which he was asked to serve as the chief operating officer (COO) Merrill Lynch's European operations.
[1][5][3][2][7] Willett lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey with his wife, Janice and three children.
[4] On January 18, 2012, he donated $3.5 million to the University of Rochester to fund scholarships and faculty positions.