Alumni Spotlight: Karen Albano Mair, Class of 1988

AMANDA SCOPELLITI
FEATURES EDITOR
Karen Albano Mair ’88, graduated from Trinity as an English major and Economics enthusiast who credits Trinity’s emphasis on high-level analysis and writing as something that distinguished throughout her post-graduate career.
During her time as an undergraduate, Mair’s experiences centered around academics, and she describes Trinity’s Hartford-based campus as an “academic heaven.” Mair could often be found attending office hours and spending time in the English house, and friends frequently spotted her walking across campus with her arms full of Riverside Shakespeare. When reflecting on her Trinity experience, she describes herself as feeling energized to learn and as though every day was full of possibility.
After graduating from Trinity and taking a two-month tour of Europe, Mair started a position in a management development program at MassMutual, a Springfield-based insurance company. Her job involved analyzing business issues and market opportunities in addition to writing position papers for senior management. Shortly after starting this position, Mair started to see the value of her Trinity education in action. After submitting her first project, she was called in for a meeting with MassMutual’s Executive Vice President of Marketing. He told her that she was the best writer he had come across in all his years in the business world and asked if she would talk with his teenage daughter about the value of a Trinity education.
Mair is grateful for the value her education has afforded her in the workforce and states, “I believe that the critical thinking that was honed in me by all those fabulous professors at Trinity and the emphasis on high-level analysis and writing have made a noteworthy difference in my career at each step in the path I have taken.”
After working at MassMutual, Mair attended Harvard University to pursue a master’s degree in finance, with the bulk of her tuition paid for through a scholarship from a Trinity alumni. During her time at Harvard, several professors praised the strength of Mair’s writing. Although she might have been considered to be at a disadvantage in comparison with many of her student peers who had majored in more technical fields, Mair credits the value of the critical thinking and writing skills she acquired at Trinity as what propelled her through.
After completing graduate school at Harvard and pursuing a 12-year career on Wall Street, Mair is now serving as the Director of Research at Capital Prospects, a small investment management firm located in Stamford, CT. Capital Prospects constructs and manages equity and fixed income programs for public pension fund clients, with a focus on minority and female-owned firms. Mair says that she has “particular enthusiasm” for the $650 million fixed income program she oversees for a client, which is fully composed of managers who are women and/or minorities. When meeting young women who are in the early phase of their careers, Mair likes to tell them that they can do it all. She says that, “it takes determination and persistence, but there are so many opportunities out there if you have a great education and work hard.”
On a personal level, Mair recently celebrated 25 years of marriage with husband Martin, and the couple resides in Greenwich, CT with their five children. The eldest of her children are pursing higher education at the University of Connecticut and Brown University, respectively. Mair looks back fondly on her time at Trinity and believes that, “With a Trinity education, students have the skills to add meaningful value in their careers and will be able to make a notably positive impact in their communities.”