Madeline Kardos

About Madeline Kardos

I began my career as a product marketer for an international software company, then made an intentional switch to the nonprofit sector to help thousands of organizations better tell their stories. After three years creating engaging and impactful marketing campaigns, I pursued an MBA at the Duke Fuqua School of Business to balance my creative skillsets with technical skillsets in business operations and finance. During grad school, I became fascinated with the intersection of social entrepreneurship and finance and, upon graduating, put my newfound passions to work. I joined Merrill Lynch as a Team Financial Advisor, offering goals-based wealth management and planning to individuals and families, with a focus on retirement, concentrated stock options, and custom investing. While I enjoyed learning about a new industry, sharpening my financial chops, and distilling the financial world into clear and actionable goals for my clients, I realized I missed the creative aspects of my work, and pivoted to a product growth role at Recidiviz to uncover the needs of their users and build better, more impactful tech on a national scale.THE FUN STUFF: I\'m an ENTJ on the MBTI; in my spare time I write short stories and sing in a rock band; I\'m always on the hunt for new foods to try (the latest is Takoyaki).

Experience

1. Product Growth Manager

   Recidiviz

   Feb 2026 — Present · San Francisco, CA, US

   My goals: increase the impact that Recidiviz\'s tools have, like helping more people complete parole and probation sooner or reducing returns to prison; increase adoption of our tools so more users are engaging with the tool weekly and monthly; and shepherd new tools to successful launches and landings.

Education

• UC Santa Barbara

  Bachelor's degree, Economics

  2011 — 2015

• Duke University - The Fuqua School of Business

  Masters of Business Administration, MBA

  2020 — 2022