Bryan Brown
Years at Stanford
30
Honored
2022
What is one fun fact about you?
My SUNet ID is the result of a nickname from my volleyball years. My teammate Bernard coined the nickname because I was tall, blond, and very interested in early education. Unflatteringly, he also said I had ankles like a chicken and squawked when I jumped! Anyway, I chose the username for some statistical programming I was doing on the Leland server in my first job at the GSB (which had their own mail server at the time), without realizing it would become my email address when I transferred out of the GSB. At least it is easy to remember!
What is one thing that you like about working at Stanford?
The thing I have enjoyed most about Stanford is the dedicated colleagues with whom I have had the pleasure to work over the past 31 years. My first manager at Stanford (thank you for hiring me, Barbara Firpo!) is a great example of that dedication, having now been at Stanford more than 50 years herself. I am also in complete awe of the dedication shown by instructors, lab managers, and others who have gone above-and-beyond during COVID to make sure that our students have continued to receive a quality education even in isolation. It is truly inspirational to work with so many dedicated folks who have kept the ship afloat during these most recent difficult times.
Tell us briefly about an event, project, program or initiative you were involved with at Stanford that you're most proud of.
The development of the Faculty Financial Inquiry Tool (FFIT) is the project I will remember most. Having the opportunity to work with such incredibly talented, creative, and hard-working developers and programmers (thank you especially to Minh, Ganesh, and Sumana!) really taught me more than I can ever express, both in terms of technical knowledge and in terms of what it takes to make a successful team. And getting to interact with so many independent units across campus during roll-out was an absolute blast---I loved learning about how people might do the same work differently, but still have more in common than they thought..
What is one of your favorite memories while working at Stanford?
I can't talk about that now...I'm on Dish Duty!
Leave your Legacy: What piece of guidance would you give a new hire at Stanford?
(1) Respect the fact that everyone is coming to work with a different set of circumstances and might not always be able to give as much of themselves as you'd like, but don't accept anything less than 100% of yourself whatever your own circumstances might be. (2) Listen carefully to experience, but don't be afraid to question authority when your own experience suggests to you that a different direction or decision might result in better outcomes. (3) Helping others succeed can be just as rewarding, if not more rewarding, than succeeding yourself. (4) Lastly, as you advance in your career, don't lose sight of the fact that we are all here to support each other and not just to advance ourselves.
Other Career Celebrations
