Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, Carolyn Maloney earned a B.A. from Greensboro College in 1968. She moved to New York City in the early 1970s, beginning her professional career as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in East Harlem. She served as a community affairs coordinator for the New York City Board of Education's welfare education program from 1972 to 1975, worked as a teacher and administrator for the Board, and held senior staff positions in the New York State Assembly and Senate starting in 1977. In 1976, she married Clifton Maloney. A Democrat, she served as U.S. Representative from New York from 1993 to 2023, representing districts including Lower Manhattan. During her congressional tenure, she became the first woman to chair the Joint Economic Committee and later served as Chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. In addition to her political career, Maloney is recognized as a writer. Her service ended after losing the 2022 Democratic primary to Jerry Nadler following redistricting that merged their districts.