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Thank you to the 1,400 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 questions!
I hope reading
7 Questions with Michellea R Millis
helps you in your leadership.
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Cheers,
Jonno White
7 Questions with Michellea R Millis
Name: Michellea R Millis
Current title: Founder/CEO
Current organisation: BrownSTEM
Michellea has over 21 years in Education and 10 years in Non-Profit Administration. A transplant to the San Antonio, Texas area since 20210, She has led in five states (NJ, NY, FL, TX and LA) and has served in every role except Superintendent. She taught English, Speech, and Writing in grades 7-12 including AP English (both Literature and Composition), and Earth and Life Science in Middle School. Currently, she is the Founder/CEO of BrownSTEM, INC. 501(c)3, which creates innovative learning spaces for college, career and military readiness with a Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine focus in underrepresented communities to facilitate the narrowing of the national disparity gap for BIOPC in STEMM fields. One such learning space is CYBER (Community-based Youth Building Engagement & Restoration) LAB is currently being piloted at Davis Middle School with 10 girls of color. Three times a week for one-hour Middle school girls of color are exposed, engaged, and cultivated and nurtured by sustaining interest in STEMM alongside facilitators from industry, non-profit, military, and community business owners. She has piloted CYBERLAB in Florida and Texas.
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1. What have you found most challenging as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise?
Staying focused on not scaling too quickly
2. How did you become a CEO or executive of a large enterprise? Can you please briefly tell the story?
I discovered a gap in a niche market and then I decided to disrupt the space. I conducted 2 pilots and used that to pivot into the new normal of education and workforce development.
3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?
Always respond to emails early in the am, zoom meetings from 9am -1 12noon, prospecting in the afternoon ( research, funding, development, proposals, etc). Reading up on latest news, white paper, podcast, book, review calendar for next day and prep, then bed. CEO's need at least 8 hours of sleep!
4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?
That no matter how much time and energy you put into cultivating a partnership there is never a promise of commitment until the deal is sealed.
5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?
Donald Miller Business Made Simple. It's impacting my leadership as it gives a short read with a video over a number of weeks. It has taught me to be super vigilant about personal productivity and execution.
6. How do you build leadership capacity in a large enterprise?
I have a design team of subject matter experts who have agreed to become a Community of Practice to learn from each other. We all bring a level of expertise in our respective fields but we need to all learn to become a high performing organization together.
7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a CEO or executive of a large enterprise so far?
We were able to have a HS student change their college major from nursing to computer science because of our CYBERLAB design.