James Garcia
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
“Strategic leader with proven track record driving innovative problem-solving and transformative results in challenging environments.”
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Family Members: My spouse, Nicole, and I have two wonderful children, James and Katherine.
Fun fact about yourself: A fun fact about me is that I am a twin dad. My wife and I found out we were expecting on Father’s Day. During the ultrasound, my wife couldn’t see the monitor, but I noticed the nurse typing, “Baby A… Baby B.” As a first-time dad, I thought to myself, “It sure seems like we’re having two babies”, but I didn’t say anything as I thought surely I must be misinterpreting her notes. A few minutes later, the nurse confirmed we were going to be parents and told us the doctor would be in shortly to speak with us. When the doctor entered, she asked, “Did the nurse share the news with you?” We excitedly said yes, thinking she was referring to the pregnancy, but then she added, “I can confirm it’s a twin pregnancy.” I wish I could have captured the surprise on Nicole’s face at that moment, but all I could think was, “I knew it!”
Undergraduate School and Degree: I earned a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Economics from the University of Houston, graduating summa cum laude.
Where are you currently working? Deputy Vice President at PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America)
Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles: I am deeply committed to community service and leadership at Wharton and in my local community. As a volunteer with Food and Friends, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., I deliver nutritionally tailored meals and groceries to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-threatening illnesses.
My peers nominated and selected me to serve as Academic Representative on the Wharton Student Leadership Committee (SLC). This role enabled me to work closely with my fellow SLC members to enhance our class’s academic and student experiences. Additionally, I served as Vice President of Finance on the Executive Board of the Penn Biotech Group (PBG), which equips graduate students from various disciplines across the Penn community with real-world business and consulting experience. At PBG, we consulted for clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to startups on projects spanning strategy and marketing, pricing and revenue modeling, operations, and intellectual property.
I was honored and humbled to be chosen by my classmates to be our graduating class’s recipient of the Benjamin Franklin Award. The award, presented during the commencement ceremony, is “bestowed on the student who has exhibited a strong work ethic, demonstrated a practical application of ideas, fostered teamwork, and was quick to lend a helping hand in order to ‘give back’ to the class.”
I graduated with honors and was named a Palmer Scholar, the highest academic honor conferred upon students graduating in the top 5% of the class.
Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? The achievement I am most proud of during business school isn’t a single award or accolade but rather my decision to apply and my subsequent acceptance into Wharton. There were countless reasons I could have used to justify not applying, e.g., it has been sixteen years since I completed my undergraduate degree. I have two young children at home, and my career demands are high. Yet, like all my classmates, there was something inside each of us that drove us to apply. Being admitted to Wharton was not just a recognition of our hard work and past accomplishments but a testament to our ability to overcome hurdles and our commitment to personal and professional growth. This is the achievement I am most proud of because it laid the foundation for the unbreakable bond I share with my classmates and the bond we share with every Wharton graduate who has come before and those who will come after.
What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? When I joined PhRMA in 2018, the industry faced multiple policy initiative threats projected to cost millions of dollars to defend against. If enacted, these proposals were expected to have a multi-billion dollar per year negative impact on research and development. I was hired to lead the industry’s effort to defend against these threats. New to the industry at the time, I had to quickly get up to speed on the issues. I met with key stakeholders, developed a plan, and assembled a team. Within six months, my team had successfully mitigated all the threats. While I am proud of what we accomplished in the short term, I am most proud that our efforts helped free up critical resources the industry could redirect toward developing lifesaving treatments and cures.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? I was fortunate to learn from many incredible professors throughout my time at Wharton, each of whom has significantly impacted my academic journey. Professor Kevin Kaiser stands out as my favorite professor. I had the opportunity to take two courses with him, Corporate Restructuring and Valuation.
When I reflect on my experience in Professor Kaiser’s courses, I am reminded of a BBC documentary I watched a few years ago on Fermat’s Last Theorem. Mathematician Andrew Wiles explains, “Perhaps I can best describe my experience of doing mathematics in terms of entering a dark mansion. One goes into the first room, and it’s dark, completely dark. One stumbles around bumping into the furniture. And gradually you learn where each piece of furniture is. And finally, after six months or so, you find the light switch, you turn it on, and suddenly it’s all illuminated, you can see exactly where you were.”
Throughout Professor Kaiser’s courses, I went through the process of being forced to be in the dark and find my way, forced to bump into concepts and question what I thought I understood. Through this process of being challenged, I learned to truly see, and by the end of his courses, my understanding was fully illuminated.
Instead of merely teaching us the mechanics of performing a valuation, we engaged in extensive discussions on the principles of finance. These conceptual discussions encouraged us to question our preconceptions and helped us gain a much deeper understanding of finance through the process. As students, we learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, a teaching method aimed at making us antifragile. Professor Kaiser’s commitment to student engagement is evident from the generosity with which he shares his time outside of class. His willingness to extend our discussions well beyond scheduled class times and offer impromptu office hours enriched our learning experience.
I have gained a much deeper understanding of value creation and value destruction through Professor Kaiser’s courses. My ability to recognize the difference will be a major asset throughout my professional career. Professor Kaiser has had a profound impact on my life. He forced us to struggle. He forced us to learn how to stumble and feel our way through the dark. We are so much better for having gone through the experience.
I went to Wharton expecting I was going to find all the answers. In Professor Kaiser’s classes, I learned that it is far more important to understand all the questions that need to be asked. It is far more important to understand why.
Why did you choose this school’s executive MBA program? I chose Wharton’s Executive MBA program for its academic rigor. The core curriculum is designed to equip first-year students with a solid foundation in business principles and frameworks. In the second year, the opportunity to choose electives that were most relevant and interesting to me promised a learning experience I could tailor based on my specific goals. Another key factor in my decision was Wharton’s residential requirement. Through my research and conversations with current students, I learned that time and shared experiences are central to the Wharton experience. The program is renowned for its highly collaborative learning environment, where students forge lasting relationships through shared academic and extracurricular activities. When considering my application, the genuine and ongoing support among Wharton alumni stood out as unparalleled. Discussions with alumni revealed a highly active and supportive community, continuing throughout their professional lives. This strong emphasis on long-term personal and professional relationships was a major draw and reinforced my decision that Wharton’s Executive MBA program was the perfect fit for me.
What is the biggest lesson you gained during your MBA and how did you apply it at work? One of the most important lessons I learned at Wharton is the impact of every decision we make as leaders. Every decision we make either creates or destroys value. This principle, while straightforward, requires intense focus and commitment to implement effectively. At work, this insight has become central to my leadership approach. It shapes how I assess every decision, ensuring decisions align with our long-term strategic priorities and positively contribute to the patients we serve. My dedication to value creation drives me to cultivate an environment where strategic thinking and accountability are incentivized and rewarded.
Give us a story during your time as an executive MBA on how you were able to juggle work, family and education? During my fifth term, I faced a particularly challenging moment that tested my ability to balance work, family, and education. While traveling to our campus out West for an intense three-day course on Financial Disclosure Analytics, I received the news that my grandmother had passed away. She had been like a second mom to me growing up, and this was a tremendous loss. Everything inside me wanted to get on the next flight to Houston when I got the news. However, I knew I still had responsibilities to fulfill. I have no doubt that everyone around me would have understood if I had bowed out of the class, taken time off work, and rushed back to Houston to mourn. However, I also knew that decision would have devastated my grandmother. Honoring her memory and the values she instilled in me meant not letting my teammates down and fulfilling my professional responsibilities. I chose to stay and complete the course.
During the day, I focused 100% on class, handled work responsibilities in the evenings, and dedicated time each day to connecting with my family via Zoom. When the course wrapped up a few days later, I immediately traveled to Houston to be with my family. This period required intense compartmentalization and focus but also highlighted the strong support system I had around me – my family, colleagues at work, and classmates. My wife’s unwavering support was crucial during this period and throughout the program. This experience reinforced my ability to prioritize and navigate complex demands, skills critical to success while earning an MBA.
What advice would you give to a student looking to enter an executive MBA program? If you are wondering whether you can do it, the answer is yes, if you put your mind to it. If you are waiting for the perfect time, there will likely never be a perfect time. If you have been out of school for many years and are wondering if you still have it in you, you do. It may have been years since you opened a textbook, but the fact that you are reading this reveals an intellectual curiosity within you that, while you may not be conscious of it, is there.
If you are afraid of getting rejected, know this, some of the most intelligent people I met at Wharton did not get in on their first try. What makes them special is that they didn’t give up. They got up, dusted themselves off, and tried again. The only way you can guarantee you will not get in is if you choose not to apply.
Do the work. Take the time to prepare for the entrance exam. Get to know the schools in which you are interested. Meet and speak with alumni and current students. Learn about the program. Don’t just focus on whether a program will accept you; make sure the program is the right fit for you as well. Approach this with eyes wide open and know that it will be a lot of work. You will have to make many personal sacrifices along the way. You will need to have a strong support system around you.
If you decide to enter a program, there will be many times along the way when you think what you are being asked to do is not possible. It is. Remember those who came before you. They are proof that it is possible. You will discover abilities within you that you didn’t know existed. If you are wondering if the program gets easier once you get to a certain point, it doesn’t. You just get better at handling it.
Throughout the journey, you will forge relationships that will last the rest of your life. You will grow as a professional and as a person. Time will fly. And before you know it, you will be walking across the stage, knowing you made one of the best decisions of your life when you chose to apply.
What was your biggest regret in business school? I have no regrets from my time at Wharton. I left it all on the field. Early on, I learned from Professor Nicolaj Siggelkow that effective strategy involves making trade-offs. I took this lesson to heart when I opted to double major in Finance and Strategic Management. This decision significantly shaped my academic journey and required meticulous planning to meet the rigorous requirements of both majors. Consequently, I had to pass up many other interesting courses. However, rather than dwelling on the courses I missed out on, I focused on the incredible opportunity I had to learn from many of the world’s leading experts in their fields. If I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing. Fortunately, Wharton’s lifelong learning benefit allows alumni to audit courses. I have no doubt I will return to Philadelphia soon to explore some of those courses I missed during my initial time on campus.
Which MBA classmate do you most admire? My class was composed of the most incredible group of individuals you will ever meet. It included heart surgeons, neurosurgeons, biopharma researchers, and entrepreneurs. Our class included individuals who have dedicated their lives to nonprofit work and executives from the world’s largest financial institutions and technology companies. Among our ranks were brave men and women who put their lives on the line to serve their country, parents who balanced their coursework while raising newborns, and students who flew across the world every two weeks to attend classes. I deeply admire each of my classmates. We were all united by a shared commitment to personal and professional growth that enriched our collective experience.
Among this incredible group, the classmate I most admire is Jennifer Greenlief. Jennifer did not start the program with my class. She began her MBA journey a year earlier, in 2021. However, during her third term, she discovered a lump in her breast and was soon diagnosed with Stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer, an aggressive form that had already spread to her lymph nodes, neck, chest, and under her arms. Despite this devastating news, Jennifer did not withdraw from classes. Instead, she planned her chemotherapy around her class schedule to ensure her treatments fell in between class weekends.
Over the next two months, she courageously underwent three rounds of chemotherapy while continuing with her coursework. She had the option to delay her participation in Marketing Week at the end of Term 3, but instead, she chose to attend because it meant so much for her to share the experience with her fellow classmates. So, she traveled to our campus out West for the intense week which is packed with classes all day and assignments that go late into the night. After completing her first year with her class, Jennifer took a medical leave to focus on her treatment and returned to join my class in 2023. She openly shared her experience with us, and in August 2023, we were honored to celebrate her final chemo treatment with her. Jennifer’s unwavering determination and openness demonstrate her incredible resilience and embody everything that makes Wharton such a special place. While she will forever share a bond with the class she started with, those of us in the class of 2024 were fortunate that she became a part of our journey. Her perseverance and heart have inspired us all, and I am proud to call her my friend and fellow classmate.
What was the main reason you chose an executive MBA program over part-time or online alternatives? I chose an Executive MBA program over other alternatives because I highly valued the in-person classroom experience. I realized that the learning during the program is constant and extends beyond formal interactions with professors or completing assignments. Much of the learning happens through discussions with classmates during walks back to the hotel, or over meals, where ideas and diverse perspectives can be exchanged. Furthermore, the relationships that develop from sharing these in-person experiences are invaluable. They foster a deeper connection and provide opportunities for mutual support that I believed would be harder to achieve through other formats. Additionally, the ability to immediately apply classroom concepts to my work was incredibly rewarding. This direct application not only reinforced my learning but also allowed me to experience the real-world impact of my education firsthand, enhancing both my professional development and effectiveness.
What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? My ultimate long-term professional goal is to take on a leadership role where I can effectively apply strategic principles to drive significant value creation within my organization. To achieve this, I aim to focus on continuously redeveloping our competitive advantages. A key component of my strategy involves enhancing our capacity to distinguish between value-creating and value-destroying ideas and investments. This entails committing resources to initiatives that align with and advance our core objectives, while eliminating those that do not. Furthermore, I am dedicated to building a culture where discernment between value-creating and value-destroying activities is at the core. Establishing the right incentives is crucial as it promotes a workplace environment where every team member is actively engaged and accountable for our collective success. By adhering to these principles, my goal is to lead my organization along a path where every decision and action contributes positively to value creation. This approach not only reinforces our strategic position but also ensures that we continue to maintain a competitive advantage and deliver enduring value to our stakeholders.
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