The 2023 Rising Stars of the Profession: Amy Goad

Amy Goad is a Managing Director on Sendero's Executive Leadership Team with diverse project experience and a history of delivering impactful results. She is the lead of Sendero's healthcare practice, which is focused on cultivating the firm's specialized knowledge of health systems, payors, and technology providers. Amy's history of working with a variety of healthcare systems has enabled her to bring a well-rounded perspective to each of her clients across the country. In recent client engagements, Amy has led initiatives to design healthcare analytics operating models, establish strategic vendor alliances, implement organizational data governance, operationalize a project management office, and optimize project delivery processes. She has presented about her unique healthcare leadership approach in national and regional conferences, including the HIMSS Global Health Conference.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from the University of Oklahoma. After graduation, she joined Sendero as an Associate and quickly became one of the company's rising stars due to her outstanding leadership skills and commitment to exceptional client delivery. Amy commits to providing tangible value through high-quality execution, speed of implementation, and change adoption. Her material contributions to her clients are second only to her drive to build lasting and meaningful relationships.

What would you say has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

I'm an optimistic person. I know that there are situations where this can be seen as a negative thing, especially when people conflate optimism and naivety. However, I believe that optimism is one of my biggest strengths and one of the biggest factors in my career success so far.

Clients hire consultants because they have a business challenge, and more often than not the business challenge you're asked to solve is a byproduct of a more complicated organizational problem. In those situations, the lack of a straightforward solution can be discouraging, especially when there's pressure to complete the assignment quickly or when you're forced to navigate several conflicting opinions. In those situations, I've found that optimism can be incredibly motivating. I do genuinely believe that there's a good solution out there for any of the challenges my clients are facing—even if it's a solution that I haven't found yet. Because of that belief, I'm encouraged to dig deeper, research more, talk with peers and mentors, and think more creatively. I'm proud to say that this optimistic drive to find the answer has led to meaningful results for my clients.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

My consulting career has given me the gift of new perspectives. With each new client, conference or training, I've been able to meet and learn from so many great leaders. Each of these individuals has experienced their own journey of successes and challenges, and I have benefited from their willingness to share those experiences. The most exciting thing is, because of the job I have, those lessons learned don't have to stop with me. I'm able to bring those conversations and concepts to my clients who might be experiencing a similar challenge. Or, I can bring new research I've heard about at a conference to my Sendero team so we can all look at the ways we can use this information to develop a more innovative solution. There's always more to learn and there's always a new point of view to consider. I believe that when we embrace this, we're able to bring transformational results to our clients and communities.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

When I joined Sendero in 2011, we didn't have any health care clients. Today, we have a health care practice that serves clients across the country. In fact, as of May 2021, 60% of Sendero's workforce had been a part of a health care project at some point during their tenure at the firm. Personally, I've worked with over 30 health care clients, either directly, as an engagement lead, or through a vendor alliance. I'm proud to have been a part of the team that developed this industry vertical and, in doing so, developed my own perspective on health care. This outlook, and the potential for it to lead to transformational change, is what I am most proud of.

I'm passionate about health equity, patient and customer experiences, and technology in the health care space. I want to change the conversation about health equity by encouraging my clients to think strategically about where and how they should make investments in new equity programs or initiatives. I believe that individuals have two distinct experiences when seeking care—as the patient and as the customer. When health systems tune into this, they're able to provide better, more directed care. Finally, I see more thoughtful investments in technology as one of the keys to improving the work experience for providers. I'm encouraged to hear that industry professionals are interested in listening to these perspectives. I was recently accepted to speak at a national conference and have been invited to present on industry panels next year—it's an exciting milestone for me!

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Don't work too hard to architect your own success. This is advice that I have seen become more meaningful as I've grown in my career and seen more unexpected opportunities come to fruition. If you work hard while staying open to new experiences, success will follow.

When looking back on my own consulting journey, I think about how different it is from what I envisioned when I was just graduating from college–and that's a wonderful thing. I've had the privilege to learn from and be shaped by so many people and circumstances, and that's the reason why I have the career I have.

What does this recognition mean to you?

To put it simply, it's an honor to be included in this cohort of innovative, driven leaders. There are so many bright and successful young people in consulting that I admire, and it's humbling to be selected to represent the industry.

I believe that consultants really do have the power to make a positive impact and that at its best, this industry exists to improve people's work lives by empowering them with the tools they need to do their jobs. My fellow honorees understand that and are constantly working to find meaningful solutions for our clients. I'm proud to be among this group of people who put our clients first.