Gillianne Nichole Millette

University of Massachusetts Amherst, Isenberg School of Management

“Servant leader, empathetic communicator, connector of people and ideas, equity-focused, grounded in purpose and words.”

Age: 56

Hometown: Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, I currently reside in Johns Creek, Georgia.

Fun fact about yourself: I’m a lifelong logophile. As a kid, I didn’t just read storybooks, I also read the dictionary for fun. My siblings still tease me about it! I’ve always believed that the right word, chosen intentionally, has the power to inform, inspire, motivate, and connect us in ways nothing else can. My love of words led to a rewarding career in corporate communications, and I’ve spent the last 30 years refining messages to ensure they resonate with their intended audience.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Ambassador University, Bachelor of Arts in Theology

University of Phoenix, Master of Arts in Organizational Management

Where are you currently working? I am Principal Consultant at Beau Temps Communications, where I help clinical and operational leaders in healthcare create communications solutions that support business transformation and add impact.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? During the pandemic, I stepped into a leadership role where I was asked to manage a team of my former peers. It was a pivotal moment in my career. The transition from an individual contributor role to people leader meant I had to bolster my personal communications, conflict resolution, delegation, and feedback skills while also building trust and establishing deeper rapport with people already familiar with my workstyle and, to a certain degree, my strengths and blind spots.

What I’m proudest of is how I created space for the team to thrive by turning our weekly calls from status updates into something more meaningful. We started doing a “rose, thorn, and bud” check-in: wins we could celebrate, roadblocks that needed support, and new ideas we could explore together. It was simple, but powerful. It helped us stay connected, work smarter, and share the load during a really challenging stretch.

That simple structure fostered a sense of shared ownership and helped the team “rethink routine” during a period when everything was anything but routine. As a result, we produced some of our best work. We also built a culture of support and resilience that showed up in our annual engagement and well-being scores. Beyond the metrics, it felt great to lead in a way that allowed people to be seen and supported.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? I chose the Isenberg Online MBA program because I needed a curriculum that offered academic rigor and real-world application with the flexibility to balance work demands and a personal life at the time that included caregiving. The program was also highly recommended by several of my peers who had returned to school mid-career and found online learning not only a convenient option, but also a highly rewarding experience.

Isenberg also stood out for its strong reputation and its healthcare administration focus, which aligned perfectly with my professional goals. Once I attended an information session and learned about its top ranking among the best business schools in the world, I was sold.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? The flexibility. I’ve taken quizzes, joined lectures, collaborated with classmates, and submitted assignments from halfway across the globe. I was in Tanzania this past December when I turned in a group research project on healthcare in the Netherlands. Later that day, while waiting at the airport, I struck up a conversation with two Dutch doctors returning to Amsterdam after a medical volunteer trip to East Africa. We ended up talking about their country’s universal social health insurance model and its role in advancing global health. It was one of those moments when academic learning and real life aligned in the most unexpected and meaningful way.

How did your online experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? As an undergraduate, I often focused on memorizing material just to pass the next exam. Like many students at that stage, I hadn’t yet developed the perspective to connect what I was learning to real-world applications. The classroom experience was valuable, but the information being taught often lacked the context that comes with professional experience.

As a graduate student, and one who was a more experienced, working professional, I was able to better connect academic concepts to the challenges and issues my industry was facing. This made the material far more relevant. The asynchronous format also gave me the space to reflect deeply on my assignments and add value.

How has your online education helped you in your current job? My online education has helped tremendously in my current role. Many of my clients are based across the country and around the world, so most of our collaboration happens virtually. The Online MBA program at Isenberg gave me the tools to show up with confidence and clarity in these spaces. I’ve grown from being seen as a strategic communications consultant to being valued as a strategic business partner. As a result, I now enjoy a “seat at the table” even when I’m not in the physical room.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? As mentioned, I moved from an individual contributor role to people leader during the program. I also began leading more high-visibility projects, including internal communications around the company’s COVID-19 vaccine policy. In conjunction with the first FDA approval of a vaccine, employees who worked within company facilities, interacted directly with members and patients, or attended in-person meetings or training would have 60 days to be vaccinated.

It was a critical moment that required clarity, empathy, support, and trust. The coursework I was doing in business strategy helped me connect those themes to a broader business imperative that showed well-being, operational continuity, and public trust were all linked. That shift in perspective made me a more strategic communicator and a more empathetic leader when it came time to convey this new policy and the decisions behind it to my own team.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? Really, it came down to cost. My employer at the time offered tuition reimbursement, but only if I stayed full-time. An online MBA gave me the flexibility to keep working while earning my degree.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? The practical use of artificial intelligence in business is a fundamental component of the curriculum at Isenberg, as well as a strategic differentiator. Professor Monideepa Tarafdar, a leading authority on AI in business, teaches courses that delve into both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI. Her work helped me think more critically about how organizations can use AI responsibly and effectively, especially when exploring how healthcare systems can apply AI without losing the human element.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: 10-15 hours, depending on the course.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My goal is to lead health equity initiatives at the intersection of strategy, communication, and care delivery. I want to ensure that every person, regardless of ZIP code or background, has access to compassionate, high-quality care. I see myself advising health systems, launching bold partnerships, and helping to shape policies that put people first.

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