Our Team

Guided by a set of values that prioritize people, Mary Malone McCarthy believes that the work that you do can change people’s lives.  As Founder and CEO of M3 Placement and Partnership, an Executive Search and Strategic HR firm, her vision of excellence begins with a focus on building strong partnerships and a passion for exceptional service. Her leadership and vision has led the M3 organization to significant growth and to an impressive career as a leader in the Executive Search and Strategic HR space.

As a certified MWBE, (Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise), Mary Malone works nationwide in helping both companies and talent achieve ultimate success.  She is a believer in building long standing relationships and is a true servant leader at heart.  Growing up in a family business, Mary Malone lives by a simple philosophy of delivering “a little more, a little better” each and every day. This philosophy has guided her in her commitment to her relationships, her work and her community.

Mary Malone is also co-Founder of Grapevine Partners, a new and growing Technology Marketplace for Strategic HR.  Prior to founding M3, Mary Malone spent over 15 years as Senior Vice President at Northland Communications, responsible for the oversight of Public Relations, Marketing and Customer Relations for the firm.

Mary Malone’s commitment to building healthy and economically viable communities continues to be an important part of her extended mission.  She currently serves as a founding member of the Senior Leader Network for Conscious Capitalism, a movement built by leaders committed to advancing the world through their businesses.  She also serves on the executive committee of the Mohawk Valley Health System Foundation, and most recently served as a Trustee with Mohawk Valley Community College.  Mary Malone previously served on several other boards, including the United Way, Stanley Center for the Arts, and Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce. She founded the Women’s Roundtable, which facilitates meaningful conversations for female senior executives and was co-founder of Accent on Excellence which is a program that honored young leaders who excel in their professional work while giving back to their communities.

Mary Malone has received the Women’s Business Council Young Careerist Award, and was honored by the YWCA for the Salute to Outstanding Women.  In 2020 she launched the podcast “Moments with M3” where she talks with leaders on how to lead purpose driven lives, build organizations that inspire greatness and excel at impacting others.

Mary Malone is a graduate of Wells College and has an unwavering commitment to building better organizations and communities. When not at work, Mary Malone enjoys spending time in the Adirondacks with her husband and three teenage children.

Establishing strong relationships and managing growth is the order of the day for Jackie Walters, Vice President of Strategy and Operations. She knows the ins and outs of delivering an exceptional client experience all while overseeing the larger operational aspects of a rapidly growing business.

Throughout her professional career, Jackie has made an impact as a highly respected collaborator and community leader.  She understands the fundamental needs of business owners while wearing multiple hats as a high-level administrator.  She joined the M3 team in September 2022 as the Director of Operations, where she oversees multiple facets of the business including long-term planning and initiatives, teams, setting company goals and projects, and identifying opportunities for growth. 

She’s excited to be working with the M3 team in continuing to make an impact on people and organizations in our community.     

Jackie received the Robert J. Uplinger Distinguished Service Award established in 1993 by New York State and Bermuda Lions Foundation by the Clinton Lions Club for “Recognition of her positive, energetic, hands-on leadership serving as Executive Director of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce since 2015.”

Jackie is a graduate of Clarkson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering.  Outside of work, Jackie loves to travel, spend time with family and volunteer with local community organizations.  She lives with her husband in Clinton, NY and two children in college. 

Community Service:

• Ambassador, CenterState CEO
• Member, Hamilton College Town Gown Fund Committee
• Member, Local Planning Committee for the Clinton Kirkland Downton Revitalization Initiative
• Board of Directors, Access Federal Credit Union
• Member, Clinton Kirkland Improvement Corporation

Vice President of RPO, has over 15 years of professional recruiting experience in RPO and Internal Human Resources. She enjoys building relationships with clients, candidates, and team members. High volume recruitment is her specialty, and she enjoys the challenge of this fast-paced work.

Kristi was drawn to M3's mission to impact individuals, organizations, and the community for the better while also ensuring that all are fulfilled and cared for. These values are important to Kristi both personally and professionally and she is grateful to work with a likeminded organization where she can contribute to making a positive difference in the lives of others and the world.

Her approach is to look for the strengths and the positives in every situation and build from there. She believes that everyone is doing the best that they can and she tries to meet everyone where they are at. A great sense of humor always helps too!

Outside of work, Kristi's favorite thing to do is spend time with her daughters and husband. Over the past few years she has become a dance and sports mom, and can often be found watching her daughters in their activities. You can also find her out shopping, one of her other favorite pastimes.

Working in Talent Acquisition and building connections with both candidates and clients is what Elisha loves most about working at M3.  Taking the time to get to know what the candidates are looking for in a position and matching them with a company that is the perfect fit for their values and career goals is what is most fulfilling about her role as Vice President of Direct Placement and Executive Search. She loves leading a team and helping others grow their careers.

Elisha contributes a wealth of knowledge to the team from her previous role as Talent Acquisition Specialist with Eklego Workforce Solutions, and prior to that, as a Staffing Manager at with Robert Half.  Customer service has always been a part of her career and she tries to handle every approach with quality service which is why she was drawn to M3.  M3 Placement and Partnership exhibits the same high standards for taking great care of clients and contacts, which is very important to her.

Outside of work, Elisha enjoys travel and tries to take advantage of what the Upstate NY weather brings while spending time with her husband and two daughters. 

Kathy Kozera Rowe is M3’s Vice President of Business Development.  Kathy has a long history of successful business and sales leadership - providing high value for clients, leading teams and establishing innovative partnerships.   

Kathy’s decades of experience include Fortune 500, large non-profits, mid-size and start-up companies across several industries- technology, manufacturing and healthcare. 

• Through her roles as Capital Region business owner, sales director, regional director and national executive liaison for the largest US organizations, Kathy and her teams grew business exponentially and created business collaborations that have lasted decades.  

• She has first-hand experience with the challenges of attracting/ retaining great talent and managing in-person and remote teams.  

Kathy’s aspirations for current and prospective M3 clients are to help them solve the challenges of recruiting and retaining top talent and think differently regarding more effective organizational structure and processes.   

She has won numerous company awards over the years and was recognized by the Albany Regional Chamber of Commerce as a Woman of Excellence in Sales. She started a non-profit organization for women in technology, served on several regional and community boards such the Women’s Employment Resource Center (WERC) and the American Heart Association and done pro-bono work for Catholic Charities. 

Kathy is a graduate of Union College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science and Psychology.   Outside of work, Kathy enjoys many different styles of dance, spending time with her family and friends and travelling. She lives with her husband and two rescue shepherds in Delmar, NY.  

Amanda is the newest member of the M3 Team, holding the title of Vice President of Marketing within our organization. With a passion to craft compelling narratives about our mission and impact, she is excited to communicate our story to the world. With a rich background encompassing diverse leadership roles across both public and private sectors, Amanda brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her current role.

Creating engagement and marketing strategies for businesses, nonprofits and government offices, has shaped her belief that all organizations regardless of size or revenue source have the potential to make a difference in the lives of their stakeholders and the communities they serve. 

Amanda is a graduate of Boston University's School of Management and a graduate of the Stagen Leadership Academy.  When not working with M3, Amanda, her husband Geoff and two children live in central Ohio, caring for their goats, pig, and chickens.

Meeting new people every day and hearing their stories is what makes Paige, M3 Placement & Partnership’s Director of Special Projects, want to get up and come to work in the morning. Paige is extremely curious and loves to learn, which makes her a natural in her role at M3.

Her duties include account management, recruiting, candidate interviews, candidate research and sourcing, relationship building – and asking a lot of questions. She loves nothing more than connecting people with fulfilling careers and discovering more about the people she assists, new industries, and the impact that clients have on their communities through the work they do.

When Paige is not at M3, she can be found spending time with her family. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, the great outdoors, travel, cooking and watching shows on the Bravo network – especially the Real Housewives franchise!

When organizations need to find the right person, or people, for their company, they can count on Carrie. As M3 Placement & Partnership’s Executive Recruiter and Career Specialist, she helps people connect in a way that is rewarding and meaningful. She targets ideal candidates and builds relationships to determine the best fit.

Carrie brings a wealth of experience to M3, having worked in a variety of industries. In addition to recruiting, Carrie has over twenty years’ experience in career coaching, training, facilitation and program development. She loves working with companies and individuals to establish goals, and then facilitate the process from assessing the current to executing the plan. Identifying the purpose of each action and decision is important to Carrie, as she feels this serves as a guidepost to track progress and measure success.

Carrie graduated from the College of New Rochelle with a double major in Business and Psychology, and is a 2001 graduate of Leadership Greater Syracuse. She currently sits on the Hospice Foundation of Central New York Board of Directors as Vice President. Carrie also served on the Executive Committee of the Global Outplacement Alliance.

When she’s not at work, Carrie enjoys running, both for fun and competitively (recently completing a half-marathon and triathlon!). For something more relaxing, she loves the theater and reading. She and her husband enjoy boating, both sailing on the St. Lawrence and power boating on the Gulf and Intracoastal. Originally from Fayetteville, NY, the couple recently relocated to Venice, Florida, where they are having fun exploring the Sun Coast.

Building strong, lasting relationships is a priority for Christine, something that greatly helps her in her role as RPO Manager at M3 Placement & Partnership. Taking the time to get to know both clients and candidates alike, and truly understanding their needs and their desires – and then exceeding their wildest expectations – is what drives Christine every day. And she loves that everyone at M3 operates with that same goal in mind, and the energy the team represents.

Christine returned to the workforce after spending eight years doing the extremely important job of raising her daughters. She knew that when she returned to the workforce, she wanted to do something impactful. Her work at M3 provides her with just that – she says it’s wonderful and fulfilling to know she’s helped someone take that next step in their career journey.

Outside of work, Christine loves spending time with her family. She, her husband and daughters live in New Hartford, N.Y. She enjoys reading, and being outside – especially in the garden. Christine says that gardening is what she does for relaxation – it’s her Zen!

Nicole’s strengths are building relationships, developing rapport, and executing the task at hand efficiently and timely. Her expertise really comes from the fact that she has been the person in this position before. She has been the person looking for her next role so she can relate and understand what that really means for someone in their search. She has also been the recruiter and understands what the managers are looking for and how to tap into that with candidates. She has been told managers do not worry when she is their recruiter because they know the job will get done to their expectations. She feels proud that she is trusted and looked at as a positive resource for those she serves.

Nicole tries to meet the person where they are at, whether it’s a candidate or hiring manager. It’s important to understand everyone is different and she can be flexible to their needs and wants while advising and helping in multiple ways. She is adaptable, strategic, hard-working, and fun!

Her three favorite things are her two wonderful kids, to laugh and to travel. Her goal is to travel to all 7 continents. She has been to four so far. Her most favorite travel to date was Hawaii. She was fortunate enough to have traveled to Oahu for a friend’s wedding and fell in love with the island, culture, and people. It’s a magical place and she cannot wait to go back!

She is excited to work at M3 Placement and Partnership because she is interested in doing more for her clients. She wants to not only provide recruitment services for them, but to provide strategic partnerships through advisement and HR services. She wants to be a trusted advisor and resource of knowledge so they can learn, while fulfilling their recruitment needs.

Veronica Mathias's adaptable nature is why she is the perfect fit for her role. She works as a support system for the team, completing a wide variety of tasks and serving as a second set of eyes on all projects. As a fast-paced learner, she can take on different projects and tasks in our wide array of client industries. Veronica is our go-to woman!

Since graduating from college a few years back, Veronica can sympathize with the recent college grads seeking their first professional job. With her positive attitude, Veronica is able to take every day as a new day and tackle any challenges that may arise with a smile on her face. Veronica is excited to work with M3 Placement and Partnership because the organization’s values align with her own and she believes in the mission. Her approach to work is strategic, creating plans with specific goals in mind. She is passionate about supporting her team, because “everyone can use a hand every now and then.” 

Outside of work, Veronica enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, golfing, or visiting her family's summer camp on the St. Lawrence River. She's also a plant enthusiast and enjoys tending to her growing population of house plants. Veronica is always well-accompanied by her dog and cat, Maggie and Beans. 

RPO Manager, Abby Bean, loves working in the recruiting field as it is a rewarding career where you get to make connections with clients and candidates daily. Before working at M3, she worked in the customer service field for many years and fell into the recruiting field once she graduated college. Abby wanted to be a recruiter who can make an impact on the lives of others and can find the best career for them to succeed.

Abby is excited to work at M3 Placement after hearing great things from employees.

Outside of work, Abby loves spending time with her family, going on hikes and camping at state parks (Letchworth State Park and Stony Brook State Park are local to her), and riding horses.

Jennifer is success-oriented. As a Senior Recruiter for M3, she partners with clients to identifying hiring needs, sourcing, conducting interviews and filtering candidates for the open positions. She believes she brings the most value to M3 by being focused on her role, adjusting strategies as needed, and helping the team in any way she can. She is excited to continue doing what she does best, which is recruiting! 

She has 4 plus years of experience working in the recruiting and hospitality field. Jennifer has recruited for manufacturing, administrative and corporate positions. Her experience makes her a well-rounded recruiter and helps bring different perspectives to the table. Jennifer is very passionate about recruiting and finds it rewarding to be part of candidate’s success stories. 

When she is not working, Jennifer loves spending time with my family. She also really enjoys volunteering when she can and is on the Paige’s Butterfly Run Committee as their Volunteer Coordinator. Jennifer also volunteers at Feed my Starving Children, Samaritans Purse, and Honor Flight when she can. Additionally, she just started photography as a new hobby and travels any chance she gets. 

Sydney Murauskas's communication skills make her a perfect fit as a Direct Search Consultant for M3. The virtual work environment has shown her that communication is key and allows a team to grow stronger and succeed. She enjoys speaking with candidates from all over the country to learn about their interests and career journeys in order to build professional relationships.  

Sydney is most excited to help match people with companies that will give them the most happiness and motivation to go to work each day. One placement can make a dramatic change in M3 Placement and Partnership clients’ lives and within their company. A new direction with leadership or a fresh mindset for a person can truly bring positive change. 

Outside of work, Sydney enjoys spending time outdoors. She enjoys going for long walks in the park to decompress and have a moment to relax. 

Danielle Watkins is a Direct Search Consultant with M3 Placement & Partnership. She enjoys building strong connections with both candidates and hiring managers in order to find a perfect fit for both parties. Focusing on genuine relationships and mutual values & goals, Danielle loves helping our clients build quality, long-lasting teams and helping candidates find their dream jobs.

Danielle brings her creativity to the team from her previous career in Digital & Social Media Marketing. She transitioned to the staffing industry to feel more connected to the mission of helping & empowering others. She has prior staffing agency experience in the Capital District and has continued to grow her network through Direct Placement in Central & Western New York. She is excited to continue expanding her recruiting skills and connecting more clients with top candidates while working with a team of dedicated professionals at M3.

Outside of work, Danielle loves travelling and has visited 25+ countries on 4 continents. Her adventures abroad range from backpacking through Europe to scuba diving on a remote island in Indonesia. She's happy to be back home in Upstate NY near her family where she enjoys hiking, boating, dancing, live music, comedy podcasts, true crime documentaries, and reality television.

Shelby’s strengths include communication and creating a calming yet open environment. She believes that these two aspects will bring value to the M3 team by having a trusting environment between her team members as well as clients and candidates.

An experience that has shaped her professional career has been customer service. It has taught her how to effectively communicate, show empathy, and have confidence in difficult times. The best kudo she ever received from a client is that she brings a calming and positive presence, especially during stressful times.

Her approach is simple; be as honest and up front as possible. In the past, the clients she has worked with have appreciated that and have trusted her more because of it. She is dedicated, determined, compassionate and excited to join M3 because of the atmosphere of the M3 team and connecting with candidates and hiring managers.

She is originally from Buffalo, NY but currently resides in Denver, CO. She loves to hike and backpack. Her favorite trips so far have been Conundrum Hot Springs in Aspen and Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain National Park. When she is not in the mountains, she enjoys reading thrillers and romance novels. Lastly, she loves playing with her pup, Otis!

Rebecca joined M3 Placement & Partnership in March of 2022 as a Talent Acquisition Coordinator. She will primarily be in Project Management, while also supporting growth on the administrative side. Prior to joining M3 Placement, Rebecca was an experienced assistant with a demonstrated history of working in the government & financial administration industry. Driven by her strong work ethic and strategic skills, she takes pride in surpassing the needs of whatever her job entails.

Rebecca resides just outside of her hometown hamlet of Millers Mills with her husband, daughter, and dog. When not at work, she enjoys horseback riding, boating, and spending time with her family.

Anne Rush is passionate about providing flexible work solutions by connecting independent talent and companies.

As the Founder and CEO of Elasta Jobs, Anne believes that freelancing will play a key role in the future of work as it offers strong benefits to freelancers and companies alike. At Elasta Jobs, Anne believes in providing simple and direct access between freelancers and companies at a fair price. 

Before launching Elasta Jobs, Anne gained experience in Talent, Operations, and Technology Product Leadership. She started her career in HR, holding a variety of roles including HR Operations, Employee Relations, and Recruiting. Anne worked as a Talent Advisor to Executive teams and eventually led HR teams who supported organizations of 2,000+ employees. After finishing her Masters in Management at Harvard University, Anne moved to the business side of Liberty Mutual where she oversaw several Operations teams. Anne brought her business expertise back to the Talent space in roles responsible for strategic and financial planning as well as global teams responsible for the digital employee experience. The knowledge gained through these roles positioned Anne well to start Elasta Jobs, a business focused on creating mutually beneficial solutions for independent talent and companies.

Anne is also passionate about mental health awareness and de-stigmatization. She is proud to serve on the Board of Advocates for Bay Cove Human Services; a non-profit specialized in helping people with developmental disabilities and mental illness.