Mary Zarrilli Connaughton (born Mary Gina Zarrilli August 3, 1960 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a former board member of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. Connaughton was a candidate for Massachusetts Auditor in 2010.

Political career

Connaughton started her political career in 2004 as a Republican candidate for

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

in the Seventh Middlesex District of Massachusetts. She lost that open-seat race to then Ashland School Board member

Tom Sannicandro Dr. Tom Sannicandro (born March 22, 1956) is an American attorney, businessman, researcher, and higher education leader, the founder oSpecialNeedsTrustsOnline.coma non-profit website providing estate planning documents to families with children ...

. In September 2005, Connaughton was appointed by Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

to the board of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.Haneisen, Rob
"Connaughton gets big crowd at fundraiser"
''

The MetroWest Daily News ''The MetroWest Daily News'' is an American daily newspaper published in Framingham, Massachusetts, serving the MetroWest region of suburban Boston. The newspaper is owned by Gannett. The newspaper covers several cities and towns in Norfolk, Mi ...

'', Framingham, 3 February 2010. Retrieved on 2010-04-06. There, Connaughton has gained notoriety as an anti-toll activist for her area, but wanted higher tolls for Boston and Western Massachusetts, appearing on numerous television and radio programs to discuss issues pertaining to the Turnpike. In January 2010, Connaughton announced the commencement of her campaign for Massachusetts State Auditor as the Republican candidate. The seat was to be vacated by

Joe DeNucci A. Joseph DeNucci (August 30, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was a middleweight boxer and the Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Early life and career DeNucci started working at 10 in a bowling alley, picking up and racking pins. DeNuc ...

(D), who announced he would retire at the end of his term. She challenged

Suzanne Bump Suzanne M. Bump (born February 18, 1956) is the current Massachusetts State Auditor, the first woman elected to this role in the state's history. She is a former State Representative and state Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development. Early ...

(D), the former Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development under Governor Deval Patrick (D), for the Auditor's position. Bump ultimately won the election by a narrow margin. MA Auditor 2010 Election Results
Bump, Suzanne Dem 992,680 49%
Connaughton, Mary GOP 944,475 46%
Fortune, Nat Grn 105,965 5%

Professional background

Connaughton is currently a partner in the business development firm of Ascentage Group (formerly Henniker River Group) and an adjunct accounting instructor at Framingham State College. Additionally, she serves on the Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct. Connaughton held the position of senior manager on the audit staff of Ernst and Young in the Entrepreneurial Services division and was

Chief Financial Officer The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...

of the Massachusetts Lottery. Her other experience includes working as a financial consultant/CPA both independently and for a local firm and being chief financial officer of a privately held company. She was previously vice-chair of the Framingham Finance Committee and served on the board of directors of Commonwealth Corporation. Connaughton earned her Master of Business Administration from

Assumption College Assumption College may refer to these educational institutions: Australia * Assumption College, Kilmore, Victoria * Assumption College, Warwick, Queensland Canada * Assumption University (Windsor, Ontario) (formerly Assumption College) * Assumpt ...

in 2009 and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also spent two summers studying

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

at the Trinity College, Oxford University Summer Seminar program. She is a member of the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Personal life

Connaughton was born at St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in the

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

neighborhood of Boston. She lives in Framingham, Massachusetts with her husband and two children.

References

External links

Official Campaign Website
* https://www.facebook.com/MaryForAudito
facebook Supporter page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Connaughton, Mary Z. Living people People from Framingham, Massachusetts Massachusetts city council members Assumption University (Worcester) alumni University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni 1960 births Massachusetts Republicans Women chief financial officers American chief financial officers Women city councillors in Massachusetts