Stacey Childress
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Seattle, WA USA
"Never stop making mistakes and never stop trying to learn from them."
Career Roadmap
Stacey's work combines: Education, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I grew up in a small town. I received a lot of support from the community but growing up in a small town also means that people generally make assumptions about who you are, even when you're growing and changing. When I decided to move away, I received some backlash. My peers assumed that I thought my home wasn't good enough. It was difficult and I was very conflicted. However, I was determined to prove everyone wrong; I wasn't giving up on my community. It was just the right next step for me.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Baylor University
Graduate Degree
Business Administration and Management, General
Harvard Business School
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I grew up in a very small town where everyone knew everyone, so I always felt very supported and taken care of.
2.
I was very involved with the community through my high school and church—I worked with young children and also volunteered in retirement homes.
3.
When I went to college, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do for my career, so I ended up majoring in English because I had a strong interest in it in high school.
4.
After graduating, I tried teaching for a while—I loved it but was struggling to support myself, so I started looking for other options.
5.
A friend worked in sales and was doing well for himself, so he introduced me to his boss, which launched my transition into business and sales—I loved leading a team and helping people be successful.
6.
I spent about a decade in sales taking on bigger and bigger assignments before I decided to go to graduate school for my MBA at Harvard Business School.
7.
After receiving my MBA, I worked as a professor at Harvard Business School for almost 10 years.
8.
I got the opportunity to work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where my team is focused on education innovations and technologies to help teachers and students learn.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Peers:
You shouldn't move away from home.
How I responded:
I grew up in a small town. I received a lot of support from the community but growing up in a small town also means that people generally make assumptions about who you are, even when you're growing and changing. When I decided to move away, I received some backlash. My peers assumed that I thought my home wasn't good enough. It was difficult and I was very conflicted. However, I was determined to prove everyone wrong; I wasn't giving up on my community. It was just the right next step for me.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I had been out of college for over 10 years before I went back to get my graduate degree. I was really out of practice and had to put effort into getting back into the habit of studying, learning difficult material, and taking exams.
While working as a teacher after college, I found that I was struggling financially compared to some of my friends who worked in other fields. That's what drove me to try business and sales instead.