Department of the Interior Benefits from MSBA Grad

Ryan Brown was recently promoted after 6 months at the Department of the Interior and handed more responsibility in his role as Budget Analyst.  He recently spent two weeks traveling with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and department executives on their annual visit to bureaus in Alaska.  Following that trip, Ryan was appointed lead for the offices' financial accounts to ensure all outstanding negotiations are finalized by the end of September. 

Prior to his new responsibilities, Ryan  developed a webpage used for seamless communication between Congress and Bureaus within the Department of the Interior. He assisted the finance department in preparing financial documents regarding the bureaus' involved in the deepwater horizon oil spill. These documents were sent to the Department of Justice to be used in BP’s trial. Also, he prepared the weekly reports to be sent to Congress which include updates on specific issues (i.e. deepwater horizon oil spill, fires in Colorado Springs, etc.), how any bureau has been affected, and futures needs of restoration necessary. 

Ryan is a Maryland native and earned his bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Actuarial Science at High Point University.  While at High Point, Ryan participated in track and field, lacrosse, the math and actuarial science club and the investment club.  he has a keen interest in finance and lists as one of his hobbies researching companies.  Ryan interned at the Department of Justice during his undergraduate years and moved over to Interior for his MSBA internship.  

In describing his current duties at DOI, Ryan says, "I am assisting in the purchase of a new budget formulation system, meeting with bureaus to develop a list of necessities. This will be in preparation for a formal presentation to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to discuss pros and cons of government systems as well as software offered by private sector companies. I am also compiling the Budget Object class data, required for submission of the president’s budget, of each bureau, certifying they are accurate and within the 2012 estimations.  Also, I am assisting with the year end process of the newly integrated Financial and Business Management System (FBMS)."

Prior to attending Catholic University for his MSBA degree, Ryan also interned at the Department of Justice.

"Catholic University’s MSBA program certainly enhanced my communication skills, through intense presentation training. Also, complementing my quantitative background, the program allowed me to further my knowledge of business while pushing my moral boundaries through class discussions and case studies. Without this program I would not have to confidence to vocalize my opinion, defend that position, and ultimately see a project through, which is the main factor of my success at DOI." - Ryan Brown, MSBA Class of 2012    

Stewart McHie
Director, Master of Science in Business Analysis
mchie@cua.edu