COMPLETING THE PATH Gena Misouria's DBA Journey
Gena Misouria, executive director of the Federal Employee Program (FEP) business operations at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, grew up in a home where education was preached as her “ticket out of town.” Her father never finished high school, and her mother didn’t attend college — but both wanted more for her. With their encouragement and her own determination, she worked tirelessly to pursue higher education. Misouria put herself through an associate degree program before joining the military to fund her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. But amid the demands of career and family, her dream of earning a doctorate was placed on the back burner.
“Every couple of years, it would kind of come back up — just this nudging at my spirit, like, ‘Look into it again. You should do this,’” Misouria said.
That pull became impossible to ignore. In 2020, she reached out to Indiana Wesleyan University to inquire about its Ph.D. in organizational leadership program. But one conversation with an IWU enrollment specialist, Troy Hatfield, changed everything.
“He (Hatfield) asked me, ‘Have you heard about the DBA?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know what that is,’” Misouria said.
When she learned that the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) focused on solving real-world business problems, she immediately knew it was the right fit.
WHEN SHE LEARNED THAT THE DBA FOCUSED ON SOLVING REAL-WORLD BUSINESS PROBLEMS, SHE IMMEDIATELY KNEW IT WAS THE RIGHT FIT.
Now, as the executive director of FEP business operations, Misouria applies the same problem-solving and leadership skills she honed in the DBA program every day.
“I work with stakeholders, using technology to enable strategy and solve business problems,” Misouria said. “The DBA program aligned perfectly with what I was already doing.”
Beyond her career success, mentorship has become a core part of her journey. Post-graduation, she now mentors current DBA students at IWU, as well as first-generation college students — equipping them with the confidence and leadership skills her own mentors once instilled in her.
Misouria’s path to success was not linear. It was filled with challenges, setbacks and years of waiting. But through it all, her resilience never wavered. Today, she uses her story to inspire and uplift others who find themselves in similar situations.
“Seeing people succeed, going further than they ever thought possible — it makes it all worth it,” Misouria said.