Leading in Business with an MBA In the early 90’s, Heather Staples Lavoie ’96MBA was immersed in the healthcare industry. With an undergraduate degree in education, she knew there was more to learn if she was to move forward in her career, so she began looking into graduate programs. “I was interested in advancing in business and was seeking
In fact, there hasn’t been a single MBA course that she
an aggressive program that would enable me to maintain
hasn’t put to use. Without her MBA credentials, Lavoie said
my position and secure a degree in two years or less,” said
she would not have been afforded the opportunities she has
Lavoie. Southern New Hampshire University fit the bill –
had – nor would she have been prepared to do the work of
and then some.
business planning and execution were it not for the skills she developed and practiced during the graduate program.
“Once I was enrolled, frankly, I was blown away by my professors, not only for their credentials, but also their
Healthcare was not the major focus in the 90’s that it is
passion and accessibility,” she said. The professors inspired
in today’s economy. Given that Lavoie had already been
and engaged her in ways Lavoie hadn’t anticipated. “The
working in this field for seven years during her MBA
material truly came alive, and I was hooked on business
program, she said, “I actually benefited from an evaluation
from that point forward.”
of other industries – their strategies, economic forces, technology implementations and competitive threats. The
From early roles as a project director through her present
multidisciplinary nature of the program actually made me
position as chief strategy officer, her MBA education has
more well-rounded and allowed me to bring new thinking
proved beneficial.
to healthcare, applying more modern techniques and points of view to an industry that has been woefully slow to adapt.”
“The value is immeasurable,” said Lavoie. “Understanding the fundamentals of the market, being trained in
As to what being an SNHU graduate means to her, Lavoie
quantitative analysis, securing a comprehensive under-
said, “I am proud of my SNHU MBA program – and ironically,
standing of strategic planning and management, learning
both my CEO and his CEO are graduates as well. Given our
about
roles and the successes we have had across our respective
forecasting,
operations
management,
business
law – this background has aided me in every role I have
careers, I would say that it is a very wise investment.”
held, and allowed me to take on the work of building and leading businesses.”
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by Pamme Boutselis ’15