Tilton began her career at Morgan Stanley in 1981. She also worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch as an investment banker until 1989. Prior to founding Patriarch Partners, Tilton was an executive at Long Drive Management Trust, a special situations investment fund, and Executive Managing Director of Papillon Partners, Inc., a firm which she founded to offer customized research, valuation, and execution services to sellers of bank loans and high yield bonds.