Where Are They Now: John Galle
Published on 08 November 2022
What has changed since we last spoke with you?
In 2013, a few years after I received the young alumnus award, I graduated with my health care-focused Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. and began working for Genoa Healthcare, the largest U.S. provider of behavioral health pharmacy and medication management services for individuals with behavioral health and other complex, chronic health conditions. There, I served as the manager of the company’s Belleville, Illinois, location.
After three years, I was promoted to director of pharmacy operations and oversaw more than 20 pharmacies in three Midwest states over the next five years. During this time, I became increasingly interested in the field of mental health and became board certified in psychiatry in 2019.
I recently stepped down from my role with Genoa to focus on expanding my ATM, amusement and gaming business. Since 2013, the business has grown to about 160 ATMs in the St. Louis area, in addition to TouchTunes jukeboxes, arcade machines and about 60 slot machines throughout Illinois.
Although I have stepped away from pharmacy for the time being, I am still a huge advocate for the profession and supporter of organizations who provide and deliver mental health services.
What is something you know now that you wish you’d known as a student?
I am glad the University has partnered with University of Missouri-St. Louis to offer a dual Pharm.D. and MBA pathway. When I graduated from pharmacy school, I wished that I had more business knowledge. I would recommend that any pharmacy student be knowledgeable in business and finance. It will help professionally and personally.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
When I was first promoted to director of pharmacy operations at Genoa Healthcare, one of our senior vice presidents told me, "Don’t let anyone affect your ability to put bread on your table in your new role."
That statement hit me hard since my wife and I had just had our first child, and I was going to be the sole breadwinner while she stayed home to raise our kids. It made me run towards problems instead of away from them and drove me to be a visible leader to support and grow my team at Genoa.
This story was first published in the fall 2022 issue of Script Magazine. To view past issues of Script, visit the Script Magazine archive.
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