Michael Herley ’21
Age: 53
Program: DBA in Finance
Year of Graduation: 2021
Hometown: North Massapequa, NY
Graduate SHUdent Spotlight: Why I Earned a Doctor of Business Administration
World-class faculty and a dynamic curriculum drew this recent graduate to the DBA in finance program at SHU
Whether guiding an organization’s financial strategy, managing financial operations and driving growth or consulting, financial professionals have a profound influence on an organization’s success and its ability to navigate challenges and opportunities. What skills and expertise do today’s financial professionals need to manage risk, provide strategic advice and explain often complex concepts?
At Sacred Heart, the three-year, low residency Doctor of Business Administration in finance program encourages students to tackle practical, complex financial problems through hands-on learning laboratories and a unique student cohort model. Guided by renowned faculty with extensive professional and academic experience, students gain advanced skills and knowledge of quantitative methods and mathematical modeling, and a global perspective of financial markets—positioning them for leadership positions in business, academia and government.
For Michael Herley ’21, Sacred Heart’s internationally recognized DBA program was the answer to the question he asked himself: What was he going to do for the second half of his professional career? His research centered on econometric forecasting, and he continues to study how financial and economic factors interact under different market risks using advanced statistical models. Currently, he balances teaching with his consulting work as principal of Southport Strategies LLC. At SHU, he teaches first-year students in the internationally recognized DBA program as an adjunct faculty member. In 2023, he was appointed assistant professor of the practice in Business Analytics and Information Systems (tenure track) at St. John’s University. This followed his previous role as a visiting assistant professor. His wife, Melissa, also a Sacred Heart alum, earned her MBA in management in 2022. They enjoy attending SHU alumni events together.
Why did you choose to get your DBA in finance at Sacred Heart?
I was always interested in getting a doctorate, and I liked the applied nature of the program. When I first started off in my career, I was in a research capacity at a financial PR firm in NYC, but I was always a bit more quantitatively oriented than most. I sought a program that was based on a cohort style, offered on a part-time basis and featured outstanding faculty who could help me take my modeling skills to the next level and produce practical applications-oriented, high-level research.
How has this program helped you to achieve your career goals?
At the time I was considering the DBA program, I had about 22 years of professional experience. I was figuring out what I wanted to do for the second part of my professional career. I was working at a great firm—one of the world’s leading corporate strategic financial communications firms—but I wanted to do something different. I attended a SHU open house and after talking with faculty, I realized the DBA program was the right thing for me.
In what ways did SHU help you balance professional and personal commitments while pursuing your degree?
Because of my work responsibilities, I was not able to participate in a full-time Ph.D. program. And, with all respect to candidates in such a program, I could not take on that kind of time commitment with a young family. I was looking for an opportunity with practical, applied research that I could use more immediately. It certainly wasn’t always easy to achieve the balance. There were many long nights collaborating with my DBA cohort members on our respective research. However, I worked through it, and it is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
What is rewarding about the work you are doing now?
I was always interested in doing something more entrepreneurial, which is why I launched my own consulting firm. But, while the concept of teaching fascinated me, it wasn’t until I got into the classroom and started teaching that I realized how impactful it is to be a faculty member at a business school.
Overall, what did you like about the DBA in finance program at SHU?
I enjoyed the real-world research opportunities I had and the ability to collaborate with world-class scholars. The cohort style of the program allowed me to collaborate with others in the program, many of whom were on journeys like mine. Even if we came from diverse backgrounds, we were there to support each other. I still am in contact with many of my DBA cohort members today, and a handful of them remain some of my best friends.
Why would you suggest this program to others?
Personally, Sacred Heart did a lot for me. I would not be in a tenure track position at an AACSB- accredited university if not for the DBA program at Sacred Heart. More broadly, there are many DBA programs out there, but what really differentiates Sacred Heart’s program is the strength of the curriculum. For instance, this past semester, they introduced an advanced course on finance and artificial intelligence applications. This is not a static curriculum; they like to push the envelope with cutting-edge modeling techniques and seminars with leading scholars from around the world.
Sacred Heart University is no longer accepting applications to the DBA program as of fall 2025. Visit the MS in Finance & Investment Management or MBA programs for a similarly innovative, forward-thinking business education.
Want to hear more from SHU? Subscribe to our newsletters to get the latest updates delivered right to your inbox.