Molly grew up in Land O’ Lakes, in a time when Pasco County was the end of the Tampa universe. She left to attend Duke University, where she entered as a prospective biomedical engineer but left with an English degree, a testament to her ability to intellectually toggle.

After Duke, Molly was in Atlanta for 12 years, initially working for Bank of America, where she managed treasury relationships with large corporate customers. She then found her calling at McKinsey & Company, managing a group of professionals who helped consulting teams develop compelling business communications. She attended business school at Northwestern University, focusing on Non-Profit Management and serving on the executive board of the student government. After business school, Molly formed a small company that worked with founders of very early stage companies to develop their initial strategy, business plan, and financial models to present to investors. Since 2008, Molly has been an owner and partner (along with her husband, Ari Straus) of Monticello Motor Club, a private country club in the Catskills of New York that is a “motorsports playground.” Despite her broad range of activities, she considers herself primarily an editor, but also has “a teacher’s heart,” with a strong interest in mentoring and developing kids.

Molly returned to Tampa in 2019, so her youngest child, Asher, could start high school at Tampa Prep. (Having Asher at Prep was a significant motivator for the family move.) She has two older daughters – Aurora, who is a senior at Harvard and a professional racecar driver, and Simone, who is a freshman at Brown.