One CLO’s journey from specialist to strategist: A discussion with Mona Stone 

If you don’t know the Mona Stone story, you should. Recently Mona Stone, EVP, CAO, and CLO at Goodwill of Central & Northern Arizona (GCNA) and COO and CLO at Thrive Services Group shared her incredible professional journey with Agiloft. Through the conversation we learned how perseverance, strategy, and a thirst for knowledge can guide your career in ways you might not think possible.  

For the lawyers who want to take on more of an operational leadership role and be considered for something beyond the legal knowledge that you’re already respected for, this is an important message. Our discussion with Mona gives insight into how to successfully navigate that journey from a strictly legal role to a business leader. 

With 25 years in the legal field, Mona Stone began her journey as the sole in-house attorney for a regional company.  

“In hindsight, it created the best solid foundation for my career because I didn’t have the luxury or a budget where I could pick up the phone and call outside counsel for every concern. So, I really had to be self-sufficient,” Mona said.  

She then expanded her experience from in-house to boutique firm experience that focused on aviation so that litigation and trials were things she could say she had a wealth of experience in.  

Her next step into big law was a very deliberate, strategic choice because she knew that she wanted to go back in-house, but it had to be the right place. But first, she wanted to understand different types of law, things like toxic tort, asbestos, insurance defense, business litigation, and foreign corruption. She even moved one more time to another large law firm to understand labor and employment litigation.  

With this type of experience, many companies came knocking, but Mona knew she was looking for the right fit. It just so happened that she retained Goodwill of Central and Northern Arizona as a client while at Greenberg Traurig.  

As Mona states it, “I immediately fell in love…Fell in love with the mission…The good work they do in the community.”  

Mona had found her fit.  

But that isn’t the end of her journey. In fact, in some ways, it was just the beginning for her to morph from strictly a legal focus to the operational leader she is today. 

Mona still had lessons to learn. For example, when rolling out a contract management system, Mona learned that change management plays a critical role in any implementation. She goes on to mention that not only giving people training in how to use new tools but developing the message of why the investment was made and how it’s going to help them in their job is so important. Mona drove the change and worked with their in-house learning and development team to deliver the message. This was just one step in her now well-rounded business acumen.  

When COVID hit, Goodwill was fortunate to be considered “essential” so that their services could still be delivered to those in need. However, they were restricted geographically. Out of this was born Thrive Services Group, an engine for social innovation that uses business operations to fund a clear mission.  

“We had to do a lot of legal gymnastics to create it, but we created a for-profit business [with the Goodwill real estate portfolio and food services division] that lives under [Thrive Services Group],” Stone said.  

“And so, I am there, the COO and CLO. Wearing multiple hats is not easy, but it’s fun, and I think it’s just like, I think I said earlier, I never would have imagined when I was in private practice being able to build the skill set and really expand not only my legal skills but my business acumen and business leadership skills.” 

Mona gives a last piece of advice, “For anybody who wants to be seen more as wearing that legal hat, raise your hand.”  

Stone goes on: “Really identify who it is, the people that are the movers and shakers in the organization, who’s got the bandwidth to teach you, who’s got the connections that will serve you well, who’s going to be an advocate for you. Anytime you have a chance to speak about yourself, your organization, be a brand ambassador, take advantage of it.” 

To listen to the full interview with Mona Stone, click here.