Seanne Falconer, MBA, has been the Executive Director and Associate Cancer Center Director for Administration for the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota since 2014. Ms. Falconer holds a Masters of Business Administration from Yale University and a Bachelors of Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Prior to her role at the University of Minnesota, she led the Harvard Catalyst Clinical Research Centers Program and served as Chief of Staff for Harvard Catalyst | The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, served in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Republic of Moldova as an agribusiness and micro lending consultant, and worked for General Mills, Inc. in corporate finance, supply chain analysis and international export.
What does it mean to be a leader?
It means that you are looking for the bigger picture and that other people trust you’re scanning the horizon, trust that you’re always watching to make sure the team is rolling in the right direction, and rely on you to always protect the team. I’ve also learned that being named the designated leader isn’t the only way to perform the duties of a leader. Whether it’s managing up or influencing peers, a strong, smart, global-thinking person on a team will always be a leader (but doesn’t have to be THE LEADER).
How has the definition of a leader changed during your career?
Over the years, I’ve learned that the leader isn’t the person who does the whole project, delegates a few tiny things, and then calls it a group win. (Hello, undergraduate group projects!) Instead, I found out that the kind of leader I need to be will be directly influenced by the group I’m working with. I guess I learned that leader is a flexible term and the duties of a leader are flexible, too.
How do you relax and decompress?
To go from go-go-go mode to recharge, I need to change my physical appearance to get into a different headspace. On go the leggings, up goes the hair, out come the contacts, and I’m transformed into a person who can enjoy reading the paper, lead a kitchen dance party, or watch an episode of the Great British Baking Show without checking my work emails.
What are your goals for 2020?
In 2020, my career goals are to gently — and with as limited disruption to the scientific research as possible — take the Masonic Cancer Center through a new strategic planning process so that we can adopt a new plan by spring of 2021, and I want to take on additional clinical responsibilities in the (under construction) new Clinical Research Unit. If all goes well on November 5, 2019, I will be elected to the Wayzata School Board. I would like to be assigned to the Legislative Action Committee and the Citizens Finance Advisory Council and to become the chair of the district-wide Wellness Committee. Even if I’m not elected, I plan to lead the most successful Butter Braid™ fundraiser that Oakwood Elementary has ever seen. Finally, I hope to take my husband and sons to visit Moldova and Romania next summer. (Editor’s note: Seanne Falconer did win election to the Wayzata School Board; we anticipate a subsequent increase in Butter Braid™ consumption within the Medical Alley community.)
What do you most enjoy about the Medical Alley Community?
Medical Alley brings together organizations that may be competitors in the marketplace and modest Minnesotans at heart and SHOWCASES the amazing advances in healthcare innovation that are happening here. The Medical Alley community is full of the innovators that are changing healthcare; it’s that spirit and drive that thrill me every time I attend a Medical Alley event.
What is the last great film you watched?
I’m still thinking about the biographical film based on the life story of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “On the Basis of Sex.”
Women in Health Leadership featuring Seanne Falconer
Medical Alley is fortunate to have many strong female leaders in our community and the Women In Health Leadership series is the perfect way to meet other dedicated, influential women in health technology. This is your ticket to an afternoon of networking, lunch, and to hear from special guest speaker, Seanne Falconer, Executive Director & Associate Cancer Center Director for Administration – Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota.
Limited tickets remain, so register yourself today!
