From left: Brian Ewell (MBA '01), Devin Ewell (MBA '19), and Jerry Ewell (MBA '13)
All In The Family
Trio of brothers follow in each other’s footsteps
Fall 2019
By Greg McClure
When Devin Ewell received his MBA from Krannert School of Management in May, he was following a family tradition. Both of his brothers, Brian and Jerry, had earned their MBAs at Krannert.
“Brian was the trailblazer, graduating in 2001, and Jerry graduated in 2013,” Devin Ewell says. “I had the huge advantage of having both of them as mentors. They helped me with class selection, job search advice and mental support when classes got crazy.”
Brian Ewell says attending an MBA forum in Los Angeles, and meeting two people there, led him to Purdue.
“I went to the Purdue table and met the great Dr. Cornell Bell,” says Brian, a financial advisor for Edward Jones in Boulder City, Nevada. “They gave me a video … and I was very impressed with career services and Professor Jerry Lynch, who did a great job of representing Purdue. I was so impressed that I immediately applied.”
Jerry Ewell and Devin Ewell both say Brian influenced their decision to seek a Purdue MBA. Jerry Ewell says that he and his wife decided in 2010 that he needed to go back to college and obtain an MBA.
“When I mentioned this to Brian, he suggested going to Purdue,” says Jerry, who is general manager for Otis Elevator in the Buffalo/Rochester, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania, areas. “The more Brian told me of his experience there, from the great professors to all the employment opportunities, I knew that I needed to go to Purdue.”
Devin Ewell says that he had worked in pharmacy retail management in Las Vegas for 11 years and decided he wanted to change careers.
“Purdue was my only choice because both of my brothers attending and Purdue’s outstanding national reputation,” says Devin, who works for Bank of America in Charlotte, North Carolina, in its rotational management program.
The brothers’ time on campus was not all that different.
“I believe all three of us had similar experiences at Purdue, while carving out our own roads,” Jerry Ewell says. “Devin is single, while both Brian and I came with big families, so it was helpful to have that support structure. That also created unique challenges to ensure I was allocating my time effectively with my family and school work.”
They say earning their MBA at Purdue fulfilled their goals.
“It has allowed me to successfully make a career pivot,” Devin Ewell says. “I now have a great job for a great company that has huge potential.”
Brian Ewell agrees. “When anyone hears Purdue MBA, there is immediate respect for my education,” he says.
Jerry Ewell says his MBA “helped me to reset my career and accelerate my leadership abilities. I found an internship with Otis Elevator because of the Krannert Professional Development Center recruiting, which led to my current role with the company.”
