Our MBA program is approaching its 50th anniversary!
Established in 1974, the present-day MBA was known as interdisciplinary industrial administration sciences. The program continues to evolve in order to meet the needs of students and industry. Today, the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business offers part-time, full-time, and executive MBA tracks. Our full-time MBA has ascended in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, currently perched at #51 overall and #25 among public institutions, placing it in the top 10 percent nationally.
Kicking off the MBA champions representing the 2000s graduates is Tony Brownlee (’05 MBA). Before pursuing his MBA at Iowa State University, Brownlee attended Central College in Pella, Iowa, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and was a dual athlete in football and track and field. While completing his master’s degree, Brownlee started working for Kingland, a system software company, where he is now the president and is responsible for all business operations. Outside of his professional life, Brownlee and his wife are active in their community, volunteering their time as track and field and cross-country coaches for Clear Lake Middle and High School.
Get to know more about Brownlee and his continuous involvement and support of the Ivy MBA:
Q: What about yourself would you tell someone you’ve never met before? What are you up to now?
I’ve been blessed to be able to spend my time doing things I truly enjoy professionally and personally. I work locally and globally – traveling to New York, Boston, London, and many other major cities to help some of the largest companies in the world with their data and technology challenges. Yet, I get to come home to Iowa, work with our great employees, and enjoy a Midwest way of life. My wife, Amy, and I love giving back and engaging in our local Clear Lake community, as well as supporting our kids – both now in high school. I volunteer my time in the spring as a track coach with our middle school and high school kids, and Amy does the same in the fall for cross country. It’s a great balance of professional and personal mission.
Q: What is one of your favorite memories from attending Iowa State University?
One of my fondest memories was my first week of the MBA program. I loved seeing so many smart, diverse, and motivated people coming together to form our class. People came from all over the world, and we quickly became friends as we worked through that first year together.
Q: Describe your experience in the MBA program. How has it impacted your career?
The MBA at Iowa State refined how I think, how I prepare, and most importantly, how I ask questions. It provided such a strong cross-section of business skills and ways of thinking that I was able to quickly apply what I was learning as I began my career at Kingland 20 years ago. You learn how to learn, and that’s a skill that’s served me incredibly well repeatedly throughout my career – really every day.
Q: How else do you stay involved with Ivy? What motivates you to continue to stay involved?
To serve, I think you really have to believe in the product, values, and mission of an organization, and Iowa State does such a fantastic job preparing people for challenging careers. I serve on the MBA executive advisory council to support our strong team of administrators and professors with feedback from the market and ideas about how we can continue to be a top MBA program. The unique mix of different disciplines at Iowa State, from engineering to computer science to agriculture, really provides a winning formula for powerful MBA graduates.
Q: In your opinion, why is it important to support students through scholarships?
In addition to helping students lighten their financial burdens, scholarships are a tangible symbol to students that others who have gone before them truly value the educational experience and want to reward them for their efforts and hard work. It’s a great way to say, “We are here to help. We’ve got your back.”
Q: In your opinion, what makes Iowa State and the Ivy College of Business unique from other schools?
Scholarships are difference-makers. A student who really wants an MBA and has a vision for what they could do with their career may just need a little help making that vision a reality. Scholarships do that – they bring talent into the program. The more talent we have, the more our students do in the world and are able to promote the value of the Iowa State MBA.
