Leading in Business with an MBA

by Pamme Boutselis ’15

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 an aggressive program that would enable me to maintain my position and secure a degree in two years or less,” said Lavoie. Southern New Hampshire University fit the bill – and then some.

“Once I was enrolled, frankly, I was blown away by my professors, not only for their credentials, but also their passion and accessibility,” she said. The professors inspired and engaged her in ways Lavoie hadn’t anticipated. “The material truly came alive, and I was hooked on business from that point forward.”

From early roles as a project director through her present position as chief strategy officer, her MBA education has proved beneficial.

“The value is immeasurable,” said Lavoie. “Understanding the fundamentals of the market, being trained in quantitative analysis, securing a comprehensive understanding of strategic planning and management, learning about forecasting, operations management, business law – this background has aided me in every role I have held, and allowed me to take on the work of building and leading businesses.”

In fact, there hasn’t been a single MBA course that she hasn’t put to use. Without her MBA credentials, Lavoie said she would not have been afforded the opportunities she has had – nor would she have been prepared to do the work of business planning and execution were it not for the skills she developed and practiced during the graduate program.

Healthcare was not the major focus in the 90’s that it is in today’s economy. Given that Lavoie had already been working in this field for seven years during her MBA program, she said, “I actually benefited from an evaluation of other industries – their strategies, economic forces,technology implementations and competitive threats. The multidisciplinary nature of the program actually made me more well-rounded and allowed me to bring new thinking to healthcare, applying more modern techniques and points of view to an industry that has been woefully slow to adapt.”

As to what being an SNHU graduate means to her, Lavoie said, “I am proud of my SNHU MBA program – and ironically,both my CEO and his CEO are graduates as well. Given our roles and the successes we have had across our respective careers, I would say that it is a very wise investment.”