Peter Galasinao

Military Experience:
Commander, United States Navy Reserve, 1990 – 2009
Lieutenant, United States Navy, 1986 – 1990

When Peter Galasinao began his Master of Philosophy in Organizational Dynamics, his career was on the rise. His private equity clients were savvy executives and he enjoyed managing the actuarial modeling assignments. Peter liked his colleagues and when he learned that many were graduates of the University of Pennsylvania, he was impressed. “When you have a degree from Penn, you have hit the pinnacle, from an academic standpoint.” Even though he had already completed his MBA, Peter wanted to be on par with his colleagues and earn an advanced degree from an Ivy League school.

“Even with my experience leading 250 personnel – teenagers, no less – as a Navy Lieutenant, I did not have specific development in what I call the ‘softer’ skills in leadership and management. They are so important, especially if you want to lead and bring out the best performance in others. So I did an internet search of the east coast Ivies and found the Organizational Dynamics program at Penn.

I first made contact with the Organizational Dynamics team by phone and then attended one of the information sessions. They felt that the Master in Philosophy program was a better match for me because of my strong skill set in finance and all my naval experience. Once I made the decision to go to Penn, I had no hesitation. And, since I was mobilized after 9/11 as an officer in the Navy Reserve, I was eligible for Yellow Ribbon tuition benefits.

Courses like Conflict Resolution, Coaching, Risk Management and Process Improvement provide you with intangible skills. They help you gain insights into the process and behaviors you need to encourage in your employees in order to maximize their enjoyment and engagement with the mission of your company.

All of the Penn instructors are top-notch; at the top of their game. I found the classes to be thought-provoking and inspiring. At one point, I was working with the sociology professor who actually wrote the book that we studied. And I still use the tools I learned in Process Improvement on-the-job, today. 

I would recommend this program to anyone who will potentially lead and manage employees. It will help create the environment your employees need to be productive, maximize their fulfillment and thrive within the organization.”