Balancing It All- Hayden Milligan

We recently caught up with Hayden Milligan, an alumna of our Human Resources Management Certificate program from 2015 and now the Vice President of Human Resources for People, Pets & Vets (PPV), a doctor-led organization that partners with veterinarians to help them reach their full potential by providing back-office support. 

When she first started at PPV, Hayden had acquired limited human resources (HR) experience through other roles but hadn’t specifically focused on HR as a career. Through the HR Management Certificate Program at the UW Tacoma Professional Development Center (PDC), she gained a solid foundation of knowledge and a way to demonstrate to others that she knew her stuff. In addition, the local network she developed has proved important and long-lasting. She is still in contact with several of her peers from the program and has continued to advance her professional experience as a speaker through those connections.  

In 2014, PPV had 200 employees. Today it has over 2,800 employees in over 15 states, which really impacts the business’ HR needs. “The leadership here is phenomenal. They supported and helped me grow as the company grows,” said Milligan.  

As an HR leader, Milligan also sees the incredible value of professional development for the people she supports. “Companies who are not offering professional development are missing the mark, and they will lose out to companies that put a big emphasis on workforce development.” 

Milligan is currently pursuing her MBA while being a working mom of four kids. Because of her experience with the PDC, she knows she can balance it all. “I think it is important for women to feel empowered that they can continue to develop themselves, and work and be a mom,’’ explained Milligan. “You can do it! Motherhood doesn’t mean you can’t also focus on growing your career.”