Haley Schools (W'14)
Email: Feel free to contact Haley https://www.linkedin.com/in/haleyschools
What did you study at Penn and when did you graduate?
I took full advantage of the breadth of offerings at Penn by completing a dual concentration in Finance and Operations and Information Management (OPIM) in addition to a major in Criminology from the College. I graduated in 2014.
What were you involved in at Penn as an undergraduate?
I was a member of Wharton Women, Treasurer of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity, and secretary of the Memory Team. I also had a work study job at Lippincott Library, where I met my husband!
What were your favorite experiences at Penn?
At Penn, the diversity that you are exposed to is truly unmatched. I loved being able to explore new subjects at Penn - one of my favorite classes was a creative writing class. After Penn, work becomes siloed as you gradually specialize in your career, and you have fewer opportunities to expand your breadth of knowledge vs. depth.
What do you do now?
I am the Chief Development Officer for a physician practice management company. A physician practice management company manages all of the business aspects of a provider organization, including negotiating reimbursement rates, managing finances, and more. Many doctors today struggle given rising costs and stagnant reimbursement rates, so we help bridge the gap so doctors can remain independent and focus on providing excellent quality patient care without having to resort to hospital employment. In my specific role, I lead M&A and convince physician groups to sell to our physician practice management company. I’m currently working in the ENT space but previously I was the Chief Development Officer at Axia Women’s Health, which is the largest integrated women’s health network in the U.S.. Before that, I worked in investment banking directly from Wharton. In my Junior summer at Wharton, I did an internship at the Department of Justice.
How was your transition from investment banking to healthcare?
It was the most difficult transition of my career. In investment banking, many folks have similar backgrounds and skill sets. As I transitioned to healthcare, I had a greater diversity of colleagues, which meant learning how to collaborate with different working and communication styles. I also had to invest more in relationships to help my projects get prioritized.
What hobbies do you have and how do you balance your social and work life?
“Balance”is a mis-leading word. Social and work life are fluid and trying to strictly separate them causes undue stress. I have work goals and life/social goals, and I block time off in my calendar for both sets of goals. Thankfully, I have a career that allows me flexibility as long as goals are being met. For example, if there is an awesome limited time art exhibit in Philly, I am able to block off time in the middle of my day to see it. Likewise, if a physician calls me at 4 PM on a Saturday about work, I will usually answer the phone. I also take at least a week each year for a long, work-free trip as I love traveling, highlights include the Galapagos and Australia!
What is your favorite restaurant in Philly?
Hard to pick! Top choices are Zahav, Suraya, a.kitchen, and Morimoto.
How has being a woman in business affected you and your career?
In investment banking, it was a very male dominated field. I was the only woman banker working at my first firm, Tap Advisors. When I transitioned to healthcare, even at a company called Axia Women’s Health, most of the management team was men. Given I chose to work in male dominated fields I had to put extra effort into networking and building relationships since my interests didn’t usually align with my colleagues, who may have wanted to go golfing, etc.
Do you have any advice for our current members?
If there is something you are interested in that isn’t investment banking or consulting, do that as an internship so you can test it out. You can easily end up working at a bank or a consulting firm without having an internship at that firm. Never again will you have the opportunity to have an internship in any field for three months.
What was your favorite trip that you’ve taken?
The Great Barrier Reef was breathtaking, I loved seeing all of the different fish and even a few sharks! On that trip I also went to a rainforest about an hour away from the Great Barrier Reef and rode one of the longest sky rails in the world!
Anything else you would like to share?
Be a self advocate, not only in your classes or at work. It is all about what you tell yourself. You may suffer from imposter syndrome, but tell yourself it isn’t luck and you are where you are because of you. There is no better advocate for you than yourself.