Just five years ago, Ethan Brown attended the Manning School of Business Hooding Ceremony as a student while finishing up his MBA program. Last Thursday, the Dean of the Manning School Sandra Richtermeyer him invited back to the event – this time as the keynote speaker. During his talk, Brown shared his story of transitioning from a professional triathlete to MBA student to Cox Capital’s portfolio manager. He spoke about the amazing transformation that’s taking place at UMass Lowell, where the quality of education is improving along with the school’s profile. Brown also gave credit to those that influenced him along his journey, including his former finance professor Tunde Kovacs (who is now on CCM’s Investment Committee), and his mentor at Cox Capital – Bill Cox, to whom he attributes much of his success. Cox is also a fellow UMass Lowell alumnus.

“To be asked to speak at the hooding ceremony is truly a great honor,” said Brown. “I owe a great deal to UMass Lowell, the MBA program, and those who helped me out along the way – I certainly wouldn’t have this opportunity if it weren’t for the people who cared enough to make an impact in my life.”

As his talk concluded, Brown encouraged recent grads to stay in touch with the school, mentor younger students, and build a robust alumni network. Both Brown and Cox have made an effort to give back to UMass Lowell in recent years by starting an internship program for undergraduate finance students. In just two years, Cox Capital has hired seven UML interns, giving them hands-on experience in the fields of money management and financial planning. “The caliber of students that UML is producing is amazing, and we plan to make this a key part of our growth strategy going forward,” added Cox.