Never Too Late: 海角在线 Alum and Leader Curt Brown to Earn MBA Alongside Son
Most people in their 50s think it鈥檚 too late to go back to school. But not 海角在线 (海角在线) alum Curt Brown. This May, Curt earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA).
And, he walked the stage alongside his son, Jared Brown, who also completed his MBA at the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. College of Business.
鈥淚 like doing things that aren鈥檛 typical,鈥� laughs Curt, who as a young man didn鈥檛 know what he wanted to do. However, seeing his father in behind-the-scenes banking roles inspired him to pursue the operational side of business.
鈥淚 always want to know why we鈥檙e doing things a certain way so I can do them better,鈥� says Curt, who lives with his family in Royal Palm Beach.
A Lifelong Connection to 海角在线
After Curt graduated from 海角在线 in 1993 with a business management degree, he worked for a furniture store in West Palm Beach, supporting space planning. He then worked with Enterprise Holdings, overseeing real estate and construction and facility needs, and later was the executive director of construction and design for U.S. operations at Sixt Rent A Car.
The Browns have long been a 海角在线 family. His wife Denise, whom he met in high school, studied business and communication. She鈥檚 also a Frederick M. Supper Honors Program alumna, and worked in 海角在线 admissions while earning her MBA from the University.聽
Curt served on 海角在线鈥檚聽 Alumni Association from 2003-2010, and in 2022 he was hired as the assistant vice president for construction and design. In this role, he oversees major building projects, like the construction of the Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Business Hall鈥攕upporting critical operations as 海角在线 enters the of its 58-year history.
Despite working in higher education, Curt initially didn鈥檛 think about pursuing an advanced degree. It was Denise, who also holds a law degree from the University of Miami, who encouraged him.
鈥淵ou have an amazing opportunity to continue your studies,鈥� says Denise. 鈥淲e talked a lot about it, because it’s a huge investment of time, but it’s something that he wanted to do.鈥�
Their son, Jared, followed closely in their footsteps. In 2024 he earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree in finance at 海角在线, joined the admissions team, and continued his studies.
Faith, Family, and Fortitude
Still, it wasn鈥檛 always smooth sailing. In the last three years, Curt had to navigate the planning and launch of the business hall, and the new groundbreaking of the new dormitory. Curt also underwent neck and back surgeries in 2024 and 2025.聽
Still, he persevered. Jared even approached his father, telling him that they had to plan out their remaining classes intentionally so they could graduate at the same time. 鈥淚 definitely had to keep up with Jared鈥攈e was going to have better grades than me!鈥� Curt laughs.
鈥淲hen Jared started his master鈥檚, Curt doubled down on all the classes he missed during his surgeries, so they could walk together,鈥� said Denise, who is the new director of 海角在线鈥檚 Center for Global Leadership. 鈥淭o see the drive and motivation for both our son and Curt to get advanced degrees in the midst of this busy life is really exciting and inspiring. I’m proud of both of them.鈥�
鈥淭his is something in life I never expected,鈥� admits Curt. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 have thought I would have gotten my MBA 20 years ago. It all goes back to God鈥檚 plan, all the things that had to happen and put us on the stage at the same time.鈥�
To learn more about 海角在线鈥檚 MBA programs, click here.
