Steve Brophy understands government. During two decades in Washington, D.C., he worked for two senators, was chief of staff for a Congressman, served on a Presidential commission, and was on the research staff of a defense think tank. His experience made him a great choice when Dollar General hired him in 2010 to direct the company’s government affairs.

But Steve soon realized that his knowledge of business needed to catch up to his knowledge of government. He decided to pursue an Executive MBA, he says, to better understand the data he received as a corporate officer, to better communicate to government decision makers the effects of their policies on Dollar General, and to better focus his efforts on areas where he could add value to the company.

The program at Vanderbilt, he concluded, offered “a degree with meaning behind it.” He was also impressed by the degree of collaboration he found at Owen. “I have never experienced a large group that came together so quickly and cohesively as the 50 people in my class,” he says. “The diversity of backgrounds and expertise, combined with the depth of experience, enables tremendous dialogue in and out of the classroom. It is easy to see how many of us will stay connected for the remainder of our careers as friends, informal advisors and perhaps even co-workers.”

Even when he was still in the middle of the Vanderbilt EMBA, Steve realized an on-the-job return on his investment of time. He credits Owen with helping strengthen a Dollar General program, Paychecks for Patriots, that provides hiring opportunities for military veterans. In a more general sense, he says, “I have had opportunities to interject a new point of view in other companies or government decision makers, backed up by my studies at Owen, that have caused their perspectives to shift.” 

“I have had opportunities to interject a new point of view in other companies or government decision makers, backed up by my studies at Owen, that have caused their perspectives to shift.”