From Center Ice To The Bottom Line

Kelly Mahncke is the CFO and Assistant Executive Director of Finance and Administration at USA Hockey. The organization provides the foundation for the sport of ice hockey in America, helping young people become leaders and even Olympic heroes. It connects the game at every level while promoting a lifelong love of the sport. USA Hockey falls under the umbrella of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and is the National Governing Body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States. Its mission is to promote the growth of hockey in America and provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, advancing, and administering the sport.

Kelly and I recently had a dynamic and informative conversation about leadership skills and collaboration, the importance of financial strength within nonprofits, broken collarbones from playing hockey as a kid, and more.

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Kelly Mahncke is someone who experiences “pinch me” moments on a daily basis. She comes from a long line of hockey players and has been an avid hockey fan since she was a kid growing up in Colorado Springs, CO. In fact, she begged her parents to play the sport for five years until they acquiesced. She started playing at 13, played throughout high school, and when she ventured east to St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Now, she gets to experience the fulfillment of the sport every day professionally.

In addition to being drawn to hockey and experiencing a great level of success as a result, Mahncke also knew from a young age what she wanted to study, finding a natural affinity toward business and finance.

“I come from a family of entrepreneurs and I’ve always been fascinated by microeconomics,” she explained. “I like macro as well, but business has always been something I’ve been interested in. I graduated with a bachelor’s in economics and then got some experience under my belt before I went back to get my MBA with an emphasis in finance.”

She believes that taking time to gain practical work experience following undergrad made earning her MBA all the more helpful to her career. She also spent time analyzing her various career options and the people in her life she wanted to emulate.