Brent Quimby

The Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College

“Adaptable and resilient leader who emphasizes the importance of consistency and teamwork built on trust.”

Hometown: Syracuse, New York

Fun fact about yourself: I ran 30 miles on my 30th birthday.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, MPH; United States Naval Academy, BS

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? United States Marine Corps, Artillery Officer

Where did you intern during the summer of 2019? Deloitte Consulting LLP – Boston

Where will you be working after graduation? Deloitte Consulting LLP – Senior Consultant

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School: Tuck Admissions Associate, Tuck Veterans Club Co-Chair, Leadership Fellow, Tuck Next Step Fellow, Health Care Fellow, Tripod Hockey Captain, Teaching Assistant (two courses); Harold & Muriel Berkman Charitable Foundation, Inc. Veteran Scholarship

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of the opportunities I have had at business school to encourage and celebrate the successes of others. As an Admissions Associate, I have had the pleasure of interviewing some inspiring candidates. I vividly remember receiving that coveted call from area code 603 myself and feeling the excitement of what opportunities were ahead of me. When I have called to congratulate those of whom were admitted to Tuck after me, I can’t help but celebrate that achievement with them. As a second-year student, I have enjoyed coaching and mentoring first-year students embarking on the recruiting process. I remember being in their shoes last year, and I have honestly felt more anticipation waiting to hear about their success than I ever did about mine. Tuck has helped me realize that encouraging and celebrating the successes of others is something I am passionate about.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? One of the greatest honors a military officer can receive is being asked to perform a reenlistment ceremony. For service members who reenlist, the ceremony is a sacred tradition and significant event in their lives. They affirm their personal devotion to defend the Constitution of the United States and signify a commitment to wearing the cloth of the nation. As a Marine Officer, I had the honor of being asked by a handful of my Marines to do this. I take great pride in the opportunity to have shared in that special experience with them.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school?  My favorite MBA event is the Tiny Tuckie Holiday Party, which is followed by the study break dinner that is hosted by the MBA Program Office. For the past two years, my family would plan the Polar Express experience at the train station in White River Junction on the same day as the Holiday Party. Once we returned from our ‘trip” to the North Pole with our son, we would drive up to Tuck so we could meet with Santa, decorate Christmas cookies, and share dinner with other members of the Tuck community. The sights and scenes of those experiences, coupled with the sense of community I felt, are something that I hope my wife and son remember and appreciate for the rest of their lives.

Why did you choose this business school? At a fundamental level, my choice to attend Tuck was about fit. Aside from finding a high-quality educational institution, my business school search was about identifying a place where my family and I could thrive. The setting of Tuck was such that it would be my family’s MBA experience rather than just mine. Around Tuck, we hear it all the time: a close-knit community, remote location, culture, etc. Those are all true! My wife and son (affectionally titled Tuck Partner and Tiny Tuckie, respectively) have very much been a part of the experience. Among the many memories we have made, I’ll never forget playing hockey against my wife in Tuck’s annual Valentine’s Day game or watching my son parade through Stell Hall in his Halloween costume. These experiences served as the perfect backdrop for the personal and professional growth I was able to achieve by attending a school that could deliver a personalized education.

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? Take the time to read and reflect on the Tuck Admissions Criteria. The descriptions and blog posts that the Admissions Team publishes are straightforward. One of the things that I appreciated most about Tuck when I was applying was how transparent Admissions was. Applicants should leverage this as a way to assess if Tuck is the right fit for them and, if it is, put their best application forward.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I get this question quite frequently when I conduct interviews. I love it because it is easy to forget about how challenging it was to balance the rigor of our Core Curriculum, the intensity of recruiting, and social demands—all on top of raising a family. What I will say is that if I had more “time” to spend, I would have invested it more in developing even stronger relationships with more of my classmates. There are some incredible people at Tuck who will have a lasting impact on the organizations and communities they will lead, and I wish I got to know them all better.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? Of my MBA classmates, I admire Caroline Wells the most. She is a true servant leader as she consistently places the needs of her classmates above her own. As the elected Student Body President, she has been visionary, implementing changes that better connect students and administration. She has also shown grace and humility, praising the achievements of others and taking ownership of areas where our class has fallen short. In the classroom, she offers insights that reveal her credible experience and demonstrate a high degree of maturity. I am honestly excited to see how her career evolves.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My middle school teacher, John O’Gavaghan, most influenced my decision to further my education. Sadly, he passed away in 2010, but his legacy lives on in the countless number of young students he taught. He instilled in me a love of learning, passion for mentorship, and dedication to service. As a teacher, he taught in a structured and disciplined way. He had high expectations and challenged me to excel. As a mentor, he shared small lessons of leadership and provided guidance to me as I grew older. He set a strong example of what it means to be a good man. He was invested in the community, proud father, and loving husband to his wife of more than 30 years. As a dedicated servant, he was a veteran of Vietnam, patriot, teacher, and man of faith. Not everyone is as fortunate as I was to have such a good role model in their life. My only hope is that I can use the education I have been so lucky to receive to pay it forward to others just as he did for me.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?
1. Own and operate a small business.
2. Invest in and mentor operators of small businesses.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? Brent was a loyal and reliable classmate who took a consistent approach to his and others’ personal and professional development.

Hobbies? Golf, hockey, skiing, graphic art, woodworking, and approaching every NFL season with a sense of optimism for the Buffalo Bills.

What made Brent such an invaluable member of the Class of 2020?

“Brent is a standout at Tuck in so many ways. He is incredibly kind, thoughtful, motivated, and solution-oriented in everything he does. A day at Tuck does not go by without Brent doing his utmost to have an impact on the people in this community – students, staff, and faculty.

When I think of Brent, three things come to mind. Leadership, mentorship, and family.

A broad definition of leadership is enabling others to strive and do great things. This is the essence of Brent. Through his many activities at Tuck he has established his role as one who leads and lives by his actions. As an Admissions Associate, he has helped shape the future of Tuck, counseling, and interviewing prospective members of the Class of 2022. He has taken an active role as a Next Step Fellow, working with one of our premier executive education programs that engage military veterans and elite athletes in a two week MBA primer. As a graduate of the United States Military Academy and a former Marine Corps military officer, and a Tuck Tripod Hockey Captain, there are few better to advise and mentor the participants in this program. It is an amazing program and Brent’s involvement as a Fellow only reinforces his outstanding leadership and mentorship capabilities. Helping others learn, grow, become successful, is truly Brent’s passion.

Family is the other aspect of Brent’s life that contributes to his outstanding character. His strong ethical values, sense of integrity, compassion, and wonderful sense of humor are integral to his success as a leader within the Tuck community but also as a husband and father. Brent acknowledges that his wife, Courtney, and son, Grayson are full partners in his Tuck experience. He knows their ability to participate and flourish as Tuck Partner and Tiny Tuckie has helped him tremendously achieve the personal and professional growth he set for himself upon entering Tuck. Seeing Brent with Grayson walking through the halls of Tuck or eating together in the dining hall brings reminds all of us what is important in life.  Without Courtney’s selflessness and support, Brent fully agrees that he would not have been able to give to Tuck as he has over the past two years.

Brent has made such a difference at Tuck in his quiet, selfless manner. There isn’t a day that I don’t see him sitting with a prospective student, classmate, or faculty member engaged in animated conversation. Always giving back, Brent is my favorite kind of leader – confident, empathetic, and inspirational. I will miss seeing his dinner dates with Grayson!”

Sally Jaeger
Associate Dean, MBA Program

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