A Major “Aha” Moment -Going from Corporate to Nonprofit

Thinking about a new career direction? Not sure if you are ready to take the leap into a new industry? Meet Louisa Shields, Public School Administrator (former Management Consultant) and Bay Area mother of 3 young children.

Describe your career when you became a mom.
After my son was born, I returned to the same company,
Deloitte Consulting, and continued to pursue a partner
path in strategic management consulting. However, I
had also negotiated a three-day, no travel work
arrangement. While the latter was terrific for being
a working mom, and a pregnant working mom, it was not
terrific for the partner career path.

Did you take time off after becoming a mother?
Each time I had a child I took time off from work – on
average 6 months with each child. I also changed
careers between the birth of my daughters.

Did your thoughts about work change after having children?
Before having children I expected to become a partner
of a firm or CEO of a company. After children, I want
to be a terrific and connected mom to my children, and
have an outside interest in a workplace.

How did you decide that you were ready for a career change?
I took a class at Stanford that helped me explore
various sides to being a mother and solidified for me
that I love both being a mother and having a career.
I also took a Career Action Course held at Stanford.
I explored various fields that met my criteria, and
encouraged me to pursue the career change during the
class.

Describe your current work.
I am the Development Director at KIPP Bayview Academy. I work to provide the resources necessary to support the students and teachers at this public middle school.

How do you manage your work schedule?
I work four days each week - Monday through Thursday.
I arrive at school around 9 am, and try to leave by
5:30pm. However, one day a week I purposely arrive
earlier, and leave earlier for an activity with my
children. I strongly believe that to be successful
as a working mom you must be in a position and at an
organization that values work done well, and not just
hours in the office or "face-time".

What is your biggest work/life challenge?
Overall, I believe the biggest challenge is to find
time to see friends or do things for myself. I have an
amazing partner - he does a tremendous amount of
parenting and helps with the household.

What do you feel is the biggest upside of working out of the home while also being a mom?
I believe the greatest benefit from being a working
mom is perspective. Four days a week I am in an
environment focused on running an excellent school.
Each evening and three days of the week, I focus on my
family, taking care of the needs of a husband and
three children under the age of seven. Switching
between these two roles provides the opportunity to identify what is truly important for each.

The million-dollar question – How do you manage both
roles?
Who needs to sleep? Seriously, great time management
is crucial.

Any advice to share with other mothers?
Advocate for yourself. I believe that women hesitate
to ask for what they need to make being a working mom
a success for themselves, their families and their
workplace. I strongly encourage moms to carve out the time to evaluate priorities in returning to work and to
identify how to meet those priorities. Your potential
employer will only know your needs if you know them
and share them. So speak up and ask for what you need!