GOING ABOVE

Great Expectations

“Expectations should be high, but without creating an environment that sparks motivation and sustains engagement, you may not meet them.”

—Mike Corkery

As CEO of Deltek, the leading provider of software and solutions for project-based businesses, Mike Corkery has perfected the art of setting and meeting high expectations. Business has grown three-fold since he took the helm of the Herndon-based company in 2012. Today, Deltek employs over 3,000 people and services more than 30,000 customers worldwide.

With Mike, it’s never “me” — it’s always “we.” He gives credit to his team when discussing Deltek’s successes, like being named one of the best places to work in the D.C. area by the Washington Post — seven times. “We’re very proud of that recognition,” Mike says. “We try to make sure our employees are set up with the tools and inspiration they need to excel at what they do.”

He believes in giving employees the time and space to balance their priorities at home and in their community with their responsibilities in the workplace. “We want team members to bring their whole self to the office,” Mike says, contending there’s a definite correlation between feeling seen and appreciated and high productivity levels. “Our customers defend the country, keep our information secure, and build roads and arenas. We’re passionate about helping them deliver on those missions.”

Twice now Mike has been named to the Virginia 500 Power List, a listing that recognizes the state’s most influential leaders by sector. Embracing Deltek’s core values of innovation and evolution has been central to his accomplishments. Mike emphasizes the need to “evolve at the pace of your market and your customers, not at the pace that’s comfortable for you.” He applauds Flint Hill for that same willingness to step into change. “The outside world dictates the speed at which you innovate. Flint

Hill has embraced that fact,” he says, celebrating the School’s nonstop growth and progress.

Back in 2010, when he and his wife, Alison, were searching for a school home for their daughters, they were impressed by Flint Hill’s unique combination of community and academic rigor. “There was this level of support balanced with a level of accountability that’s really rare,” Mike recalls. He commends the impact Flint Hill has had on his daughters, Hailey ’16 and Chloe ’18. “They are so much more self-directed and aware of opportunities than I ever was at that age,” he notes. “They have the ability to self advocate because that was an expectation at Flint Hill.”

Mike joined the Board to ensure the School stayed in the position to deliver that experience to other families. He admits he’s “never been shy with [his] point of view.” His fellow trustees welcome that straightforward style as a complement to the Board’s growing diversity of thought. Characterized as an insightful sounding board and shrewd strategic partner, Mike helped see Flint Hill through major milestones like the completion of the Peterson Middle School and this year’s leadership transition. As Head of School Patrick McHonett puts it, “Mike brought a clear, no-frills New York approach to our conversations that always cut to the heart of a matter, and allowed Flint Hill to bring laser-like focus to the needs and opportunities available to enhance our Husky experience.”

Mike and Alison will soon make their gradual relocation to Florida official and thus Mike will exit Flint Hill’s Board after six impactful years. “We’ve been part of this community for 13 years, we’ll never fully leave it,” Mike promises. He departs with confidence in the School’s ability to continue delivering on its important mission and with great expectations he knows Flint Hill is more than equipped to meet.