My Jepson Story: Braxton Bragg, '06

After graduating from University of Richmond in 2006, I took a job with a public accounting firm outside Washington, D.C. After spending about a year doing accounting and tax work, I decided that I needed a change. Having worked with a number of nonprofit organizations during my time at the Jepson School, I decided to transfer to our Risk Advisory Services group. There, I could advise universities and large nonprofits in the DC area by helping them to reduce the risk of fraud and improve operational efficiency by developing improved policies and procedures.

About a year spent consulting in this fashion helped me narrow my goals even further—I wanted to be on the inside. When an opportunity arose at the United Service Associations (USO) to work closely with both the headquarters and our offices around the world, I pounced. With USO, I saw on a day-to-day basis the great deeds that our employees were able to accomplish to ease the burden of service for U.S. troops and their families both domestically and abroad. I spent more than two years there and learned a great deal about myself—I would never again be content to consult. I needed to see the direct results of my work and how my actions could make a positive impact on the world.

I have decided to further my education and better develop my leadership and business acumen by earning an M.B.A. at Columbia Business School, where I have spent the last year. I serve as the president of the Graduate Business Association and try to represent the interests of the student body to the administration and to enact positive change.

More than anything, my Jepson degree has served to instill in me a sense of responsibility for commitment to the success of my teams, companies and institutions. I cannot sit idly by on the sidelines while others carry the burden. Also, it has given me perspective on my own strengths as a leader and how to effectively apply them.

--Braxton Bragg