What I’ve Learned: Gaileon Thompson ’01 ’03MBA

Gaileon Thompson ’01 ’03MBA knew it was time. A strong student in high school, she had lost focus at the University of Texas, dropped out, and entered the workforce. A few years later, after getting bypassed for a promotion, she stood at a crossroads.

“I didn’t have a degree,” she says, “and it was holding me back.”

Thompson enrolled in the Hamilton Holt School, then earned an MBA at the Crummer Graduate School of Business with a dual concentration in finance and accounting. A week before graduating with honors, SunTrust interviewed her for a senior role.

“We spent the whole hour talking about my practicum with the Shanghai Garment Trade Association,” says Thompson. “I’m convinced that was the thing that got me in the door. It was a great way for me to demonstrate my critical-thinking skills, and it really helped me stand out.”

Thompson is now managing director/head of finance for Wells Fargo’s Branch Systems & Transformation team, a role in which she is leading the revitalization of one of the country’s largest banking infrastructure networks. She previously held leadership positions at Citi and SunTrust and serves on the board of the Association for Financial Professionals. At Crummer, she sits on the Dean’s Advisory Board and endows a scholarship for veterans in honor of her late father, a pilot in the National Guard.

We recently caught up with Thompson to discover how Rollins transformed her career trajectory and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

I probably came back to college with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Rollins was my redemption. I needed to prove to myself, and to my dad, that this was the real me.

Rollins provided a well-rounded balance. The Crummer experience isn’t all math classes or spreadsheets. We were talking about how to engage with other people and how to develop critical-thinking skills. Those are the keys to success.

It’s important to be comfortable with being uncomfortable because it’s in those moments that you actually grow and find out what you’re made of. If you can learn to embrace discomfort and realize that you don’t have to know everything all the time, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.

Having a liberal arts background allowed me to chart my own path in financial planning and analysis and figure things out on my own. Any gaps I had in my formal, on-the-job training, I was able to augment because I had that background. I was able to seek out answers to fill those gaps.

Finance professionals are usually so left-brained and analytical. I don’t think like that. I try to have 360-degree vision to understand what’s coming at me and from which direction.

When building a team, I want people who can find the answers and figure out the best ways of doing things. It’s much less about “can you prove to me you’ve done this same thing before” but, rather, “do you have the aptitude and curiosity and want to roll up your sleeves and figure it out?” I want someone who is constantly questioning and trying to understand.

I made the leap into health care in October 2019, and the world turned upside down six months later. Navigating those challenges proved I could persevere, and since then, I’ve realized there’s little in the corporate world I can’t overcome.

Because of my dad, Col. Walter L. Thompson, I’ve always had a soft spot for veterans. He supported my education financially. So if there’s someone who needs an extra little something to go back to school or take that extra class that helps them finish early, that’s why I decided to create the scholarship in his name.

I feel genuinely blessed for the experience I had at Rollins. I have no doubt it’s led to the success I’ve had in my career. It’s also helped me as a person. When you’ve had that experience, how do you not want to do the same for others?