Maybe that's a function of Finley having served in a variety of hospital administrative and clinical roles since his undergraduate days at Emory University in Atlanta. Originally planning to pursue medicine, Finley had spent significant time working in hospitals until he discovered that it wasn't so much science that he loved, but delivering care. “I've always had a great appreciation for healthcare providers,” Finley said. “But growing up as a kid, the business side of healthcare is not what you're exposed to.”
Raised by a single mother in public housing in Atlanta, and the first in his family to graduate from college, Finley says that his lack of exposure to healthcare served as a motivating factor for his career.
“For me, serving people and helping to make sure as many people as possible can get access to high-quality and affordable care has always been an interest of mine,” Finley said.
Healthcare administration was an opportunity for him to combine his deep interest in social issues with his talents and interest in business, and even political aspirations. Deciding to focus on healthcare from the administrative side, Finley spent a year between college and graduate school working as a hall director for Emory and a legislative analyst in the university's office of governmental and community affairs. There, he focused on advocacy and policy that affected academic and medical research, higher education and healthcare, before pursuing a master's degree in public policy at Duke University.