ProInspire Spotlight: Valerie Faillace, KIPP Foundation
We are starting a new monthly feature on our blog. ProInspire Spotlight will feature sector switchers and people using their business experience in the social sector. This month we speak with Valerie Faillace at the KIPP Foundation. Valerie and I were roommates at Harvard Business School – she left McKinsey in 2008 to work in education. I appreciate her being our first Spotlight!
1. What do you currently do?
I’m the Chief of Staff at the KIPP Foundation. I work with the CEO on strategy and planning.
2. What did you do before coming here?
I was a strategy consultant and before business school I was an investment banking analyst.
3. What inspired you to work in the social sector?
I’ve always known that I would find my way into the social sector eventually. It was more a question of when and how than if. I was always active in community service. Even when I was a banker, I snuck away a lunch to tutor at the public school down the street. In business school, I focused on the social enterprise curriculum. I was fortunate to work on several social sector studies in consulting and eventually realized that I wanted to spend all my time serving the social sector instead of transitioning into and out of it every few months.
4. How did you make the transition?
I did a networked job search. I reached out to alumni of my consulting firm, my undergraduate institution and my business school. I found that people were incredibly generous with their rolodexes. I also discovered that there are often jobs out there that aren’t posted because they are still an inkling in someone’s mind. Sometimes the conversation with a prospect makes the role come into greater focus.
5. What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Everyday I wake up inspired to go to work because of KIPP’s mission. The weekend I spend at the Student Leadership Summit with two students from each of our middle schools is one of the highlights of my year.
6. What is the most challenging part of your work?
Getting through my to-do list. I know that’s not unique to my job. It’s challenging to work in a lean organization after working for firms with tremendous resources. I miss my analysts and the graphics department.
7. How has your business experience helped you?
I work a fair amount with the CFO so understanding accounting and knowing how to build or navigate a projection model is valuable. And I often tell my former colleagues that the nature of the work I do — the problem solving with frameworks and the project management — is just like what I did in consulting. The difference is that I care more deeply about the problems we are trying to solve at KIPP.
8. What do you believe are the most important qualities to work in the social sector?
Passion for the mission and fit with the organization’s culture.
9. What is your advice to business professionals who want to work in education?
Just start talking to people! As with any job search, you need to figure out the parameters that matter to you. The education space is quite varied. There are public, for-profit and not-for-profit opportunities. Are you looking for an established organization or something more entrepreneurial? Are you looking to perform a certain function? You could do policy, strategy, marketing, finance, talent development, etc. The list goes on and on. Are you drawn to a certain mission? Ultimately, you’ll want to find a great culture fit. A great place to start is to look into the Broad Residency and Ed Pioneers – two programs designed to bring business talent into the education sector.