Now the Managing Director of Carleton McKenna and Co., Mahoney works with lower and middle-market company owners and operators to ensure successful exits for their companies. She provides financial analysis and transaction structuring, as well as in-depth conversations about family roles, responsibilities, and company culture.
Mahoney has been so successful at guiding companies through these transitional periods that she was named to Crain’s Cleveland Business 40 Under 40 List.
“I hope when I am profiled in ways like that, somewhere, a young woman sees my picture or reads my words and thinks, ‘maybe I should consider a career in investment banking,’” Mahoney said.
“There is no greater professional joy than holding open doors for the next generation of female investment banking and finance leaders -- we need more of them, and I hope my career helps to encourage that in some small way.”
While inspiring the next generation of female executives, Mahoney balances her office work with the role of motherhood. Together with her husband, Matt Jones, Mahoney has two sons, Conor and Declan.
Much like the sense of belonging gained during her time at Padua, Mahoney prioritizes being a leader and an example for her family even when “leaving work at work is not a viable option” in her current role.
“I think that without question, the most important decision you might make in life is who you marry, and this was and is, by far, my greatest success,” Mahoney said. “My husband supports my career, board work, and prioritizes our family. As the CEO of a quickly growing company, time is his greatest asset, and he spends it first on us.”
“Similar to my role, he is always ‘on call’ requiring us to give each other the assistance and support we need, when we need it. It’s not always a 50/50 split for parenting. Some days, it’s 99/1, and then, the next it could be 25/75, but we communicate efficiently and respect each other’s careers and personal needs.”
“It’s a saying I first heard from my mom, and it’s so true, ‘the days are long, but the years are short,’ and on even the longest days, I focus on staying present and positive for what is the most important part of my life, my kids, as she and my dad were and still are for me and my brothers.”
Mahoney knows well about long days, but years going fast.
When Mahoney was a Padua student, she was involved in many clubs, including Peer Ministry, Eucharistic Ministry, Latin Club and Teen Institute. Additionally, she served on student council, various retreat teams and played tennis, too.
That spirit of service continues today, as in addition to being the Managing Director of Carleton McKenna, Mahoney is a board member of First Federal of Lakewood, a trustee at her alma mater, Baldwin Wallace University, and also, the incoming President of the Union Club of Cleveland.
In fact, when asked to give advice to students or young professionals, Mahoney’s first response is “take an accounting class,” and she quickly follows up with “keep an open mind,” which served her well at Padua, Baldwin Wallace, Vermont Law and Graduate School, and now, in the working world.
“Padua, for me, was an open and warm community, with endless accessibility to try new things, unjudged,” Mahoney said. “I played tennis (poorly), participated in the crew for musicals (untrained), joined Student Government (almost fainted giving a speech to the entire student body), and was a member of the Latin Club (I was not one of Mr. Lupica’s shining students), among countless other firsts.”
“Each of these experiences opened my mind to different people, opportunities, and mainly, to operating outside of my comfort zone, while still working to discover my own self. I took this and multiplied it as I went on to Baldwin Wallace University, further diversifying my educational experience with interesting classes, clubs, and friends. This frame of mind continues to give me the confidence to take risks in my career, say ‘yes’ to new experiences, and develop a meaningful relationship-based network.”
“The education I received at Padua set me up for success at Baldwin Wallace, and later, at Vermont Law School, but the extracurricular experiences helped mold me in ways that stretched far beyond grades and test scores.”
