Jonathan Mariner has an extensive career as a top executive in finance, business, investments strategy, risk management and sits on multiple corporate boards. He says, “I feel very blessed to have attained those positions over the course of my career, and to have had a chance to sit in the C-suites and boardrooms and have that manner of exposure and to have influence on key business decision making.” He obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Virginia and got his MBA from Harvard Business School. 

He is currently serving on several corporate boards, and recently served on an interim basis as the Head of Regional Sports Networks for The Walt Disney Company’s 22 regional sports networks which were subsequently sold to Sinclair Broadcasting. He is currently advising ‘Overtime Sports’ which “feature curated and original short form high school content, mainly boys and girls basketball, but also soccer and football, across their various social media platforms on Instagram, TikTok, Snap, YouTube, etc., and have been able to generate over 40 million monthly followers.” 

We asked him what industry or area he thinks is the new trend to pay attention to or to pursue to remain competitive. He told us: “I’m not sure I have any grand insights to answer this, but if pushed, especially given the impact of COVID, I’d say it’s the area of virtual interactions, especially in the fields of education, augmented reality, virtual reality, etc. More specifically, education and health care are two huge industries that have, to date, seen the least amount of technological disintermediation prior to Covid, yet they are some of the most heavily impacted by it. I think there’s tremendous opportunity for those two sectors to see significant change and technological evolution as a result of what we’ve experienced (endured!) over the last 6-8 months.” 

Mariner gives very good insight on how someone can follow his successful career path, especially in this current COVID economic climate. He says, “my advice for other young professionals is to focus on excelling in the current role you’ve been assigned. Have a specific skill that you can master, and be known for being not just the “go to” person for important assignments, but being indispensable to the organization. During these challenging economic times when more companies are looking to downsize, being reliable and indispensable can be your best asset.” 

Q+A

1. CA: Give us a little background on where you grew up and what were your early passions and aspirations? 

Jonathan Mariner: I grew up in Norfolk, VA in a family of 5 of very modest means. I remember the rent of the 2-bedroom apartment we lived in was $52/month! Neither of my parents (or grandparents) went to college, and my parents spent their entire 30+ year careers as civil servants working at the local Naval Base in Norfolk. While in high school, I met a family friend, Bill Aiken, who was one of only 50 Black CPA’s in the country at that time, and one of the founders of the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA). Being really good at math, I decided my early career aspiration would be to become a CPA (after realizing being a math major wasn’t as interesting re career options!) 

2. CA: You obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Virginia and got your MBA from Harvard Business School. Did you always want to work in finance? 

Jonathan Mariner: At one point I had a dream to be an architect since my uncle was an architect. But once I met Bill Aiken, I became fixated on being a CPA and the rigor involved in attaining that certification. So, I majored in accounting while at UVA. However, once I attended HBS, it widened my lens on the world of business and on how I viewed the accounting profession. So even though I passed the CPA exam and became certified, I decided to use accounting as one of many tools in becoming a finance professional. 

3. CA: You’ve held top executive positions and sit on the board of directors of multiple prominent organizations in Corporate America. Having spent more than 12 years as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO) of Major League Baseball (MLB) which included you “overseeing their treasury, financial reporting, risk management activities and managed MLB’s $2 billion league-wide credit facility and provided quarterly updates at the MLB owner’s meetings on the industry’s financial health,” what has been your general experience as a top executive and any advice on how someone can follow in your footsteps? 

Jonathan Mariner: I feel very blessed to have attained those positions over the course of my career, and to have had a chance to sit in the C-suites and boardrooms and have that manner of exposure and to have influence on key business decision making. Unlike some people, I didn’t start my career with a clear vision of reaching those positions; instead, they were the result of simply working hard, being successful, and trying to make a difference in each role I was assigned, with the benefit of being recognized and rewarded with greater opportunities and responsibilities along the way. My advice for other young professionals is to focus on excelling in the current role you’ve been assigned, have a specific skill that you can master, and be known for being not just the “go to” person for important assignments, but being indispensable to the organization. During these challenging economic times when more companies are looking to downsize, being reliable and indispensable can be your best asset. 

4. CA: Congratulations on making it to the top 10 in Sports Illustrated’s annual listing of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.” That’s impressive, how does that feel? 

Jonathan Mariner: At the time that I was made aware of that incredible distinction, I was overwhelmed with pride and felt it was validation for all the hard work I’d put in prior to that. But then I also realized that no amount of recognition like that would be enough to carry me to that next plateau; that was yesterday’s news, and the hard work doesn’t end there! So, I approached the next day as if it had never happened, and with the mentality that I needed to work just as hard tomorrow to earn it again. 

5. CA: You’re the Founder & President of “TaxDay” an innovative travel-tracking app for people who work or reside in multiple U.S. states, can you tell us a bit about that?

Jonathan Mariner: I describe my motivation to create the TaxDay app as the perfect example of the saying, “necessity is the mother of invention!” When I landed the MLB CFO position in NYC, I still had a son in high school in Florida, so I traveled back and forth between NY and FL for several years, and filed a partial resident tax return for NY. Several years later I was audited by NY and, long story short, since I didn’t have “audit-proof” tax records and receipts to document my time outside of NY, I settled the audit (at a hefty cost!) but was determined to not have that happen again. So, recognizing that everyone has a cell phone that’s always with them, I engaged a software development firm and tax professionals and designed the TaxDay app. It utilizes the location tracking feature of your mobile phone to automatically track your travel based on the tax residency rules of each state that’s embedded within the app. So, for people like me who need to accurately document their travel, TaxDay is designed to automatically track your multi-state travel, and make that task easier and audit-proof! It was my first time ever building an app, and while I’ve had many challenges (technical and marketing-wise), it’s been fun and eye-opening being an entrepreneur! 

6. CA: How do you maintain a balance with your work, personal and family life? 

Jonathan Mariner: Maintaining that balance between work and family life was always a challenge during a significant part of my career. However, I was very fortunate during my stints as the CFO of the Florida Marlins in that my office was located within the stadium and I had 6 tickets to all our home games. So, my wife could bring our sons and their friends to ballgames and I could spend time with them most evenings and weekends during the season. Now, being (amicably!) divorced, with adult kids who have their own lives, it’s easy for me to control my calendar and how I choose to spend my days! I should point out that, especially now during the Covid era where I’m not traveling very much, I maintain a fairly regular schedule of weekly exercise, tennis when I can, and generally shut down my workday at home after 6 pm most days. I would encourage everyone to prioritize their personal and family life over work to the maximum extent possible.

7. CA: Any book(s) that had a huge impact on you? 

Jonathan Mariner: Early in my career as I was still trying to find my “niche,” I discovered a book by a motivational speaker, Les Brown, called “Live Your Dreams,” that really inspired me to focus on what was most important to me and to believe I could achieve it. It sounds like a cliché now to talk about it, but sometimes it’s those little things that can really make a difference and broaden your perspective when you’re fighting in the daily trenches. I also would note to aphorisms that I discovered that I’ve used to continue to motivate me. The first one is: “When I’m in the cellars of affliction, I look for the King’s wine!” I use that when the chips are down and I need to look for that silver lining! And, the second one is: “Yes, I know it’s impossible, but if it could be done, how would you do it?” I’ve kept a sign with this on my desk for years! It’s motivation to always look for unusual ways to accomplish difficult tasks. Finally, I have to mention I book that I’ve just read during this “post-George Floyd” era, “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson. That was probably the most compelling and impactful book I’ve ever read. It tackles the issue of unequal social justice and economic disparities in this country through the lens of class, or the original “caste system,” as opposed to addressing it purely in terms of race. It is heavily researched and provides deep historical perspectives; I wish it was required reading in every high school in America! 

8. CA: What do you know now that you wish you learned earlier and what advice would you give to “your 18 year-old self”? 

Jonathan Mariner: Since I was a fairly straight-laced and studious 18-year old, I’d probably tell that guy to let loose and have more fun! 

9. CA: Are you currently working on any new projects? 

Jonathan Mariner: Besides serving on several corporate boards, I’m spending a fair amount of time advising a really interesting new sports media start up called Overtime Sports, based in Brooklyn, NY. They feature curated and original short form high school content, mainly boys and girls basketball, but also soccer and football, across their various social media platforms on IG, TikTok, Snap, YouTube, etc., and have been able to generate over 40 million monthly followers. It’s been fun working with so many talented and inspiring young professionals who’ve made Overtime a viral sensation among Gen Z’ers! 

10. CA:What industry or area do you think is the new trend to pay attention to or to pursue to remain competitive? 

Jonathan Mariner: I’m not sure I have any grand insights to answer this, but if pushed, especially given the impact of Covid, I’d say it’s the area of virtual interactions, especially in the fields of education, augmented reality, virtual reality, etc. While I think we will ultimately prevail against Covid and once again not be afraid to share close physical spaces with strangers, the need for – and, in fact our acceptance of – operating, engaging and interacting remotely, virtually, with others will dramatically accelerate the development of tools, user experiences and technologies that will improve the quality and frequency if how we do these things. More specifically, education and health care are two huge industries that have, to date, seen the least amount of technological disintermediation prior to Covid, yet they are some of the most heavily impacted by it. I think there’s tremendous opportunity for those two sectors to see significant change and technological evolution as a result of what we’ve experienced (endured!) over the last 6-8 months.