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Being a baseball player for the Yankees was Andrea Gilbert’s childhood dream. “Shortstop would’ve been my position, so I could be an all-around fielder,” she says with a laugh.
Instead, Gilbert made it to the big leagues of healthcare, overseeing one of the most prestigious hospitals in the area. This year alone, she is spearheading a $253 million expansion of Bryn Mawr Hospital. It’s a bold move, as the hospital faces stiff competition from other healthcare systems. But as Gilbert explains, she’s used to working at the deep end of her comfort zone.
In 1984, while an executive at a Virginia hospital, Gilbert had the first of her three daughters and crafted a flextime work schedule when no such thing existed. “I had to have the courage to present it and convince people it could work,” Gilbert says.
Enlightened bosses believed in her, and her husband has been a constant source of support. “He and a boss of mine convinced me to go for my first CEO job,” she says. “If they hadn’t given me a push, I would’ve never considered it. The lesson is: If you wait until you think you’re ready, it’s probably too late.”
