I was intrigued the first time I saw him walking down the corridor in a bow-tie, books in hand, heading to teach a class. “Primarily judges and academics wear bow-ties. I wanted to create the image of a Finance Professional,” he said with pride. Meet Dr. Lonnie Bryant, Associate Professor of Finance, at The University of Tampa. We settled in to talk, over a few beers at an Irish pub close to campus.
I rarely meet people driven to be the best. Lonnie epitomizes a burning drive to excel. “I used to be driven by ego. Now I am driven by family.” He constantly seeks recognition as a source of personal fulfillment. I can sense he is not done yet. His professional journey has just begun.
A Tampa native, he is an electrical engineer by trade and worked for Proctor and Gamble. He got an MBA because of the corporate expectation to “look and act the part.” Dr. Bryant has very strong math skills. “I am an empirical quant jock by training, not by desire.” He never really used his skills from his MBA and left corporate America for academia, so that he would have the freedom to pursue the ideals he values.
A strong family man, I sensed his family was the center of his universe. When his first child was born, he gave up golf, the second, he stopped drinking for a few years. “I just recently started drinking beer again,” he said, as we nursed our brews. It has not all been a bed of roses. He went through a divorce. “ I should have married my current wife first,” he said with a laugh and a twinkle in his eye.
I broached the touchy subject of racism and the challenges of growing up as a black man in America. His candor, and his perspective, surprised me. “I have dealt with my share of racism. I remember, as a boy growing up in Brandon, some white guys tied this black man to the back of a truck and dragged him down Bloomingdale Avenue, two blocks from where I lived – and it was the 1980’s.” Rather than feel persecuted, he chose to benefit from getting scholarships reserved for minority students. “I am the first black, tenured, Associate Professor in the College,” he said with pride. I sensed his feeling of accomplishment — of succeeding despite the odds.
I was pleasantly surprised by how many questions he asked me. Why did I not seek recognition? Where did I find my fulfillment? What makes me tick? His curiosity fueled by a desire to learn, understand and grow as a person.
I enjoyed my beer with Lonnie. Way past the interview, we sat and talked about life, bad golf and cold beers. I had fun hanging out, and sensed there were more beers, together, in our future.
He is happy at UT. “I think it is more important to be happy, than to win.”
Insights: 10 Questions
- What drives you?
Family and my ego to be the best.. - If you had to go to the moon and take a single piece of music with you what would you take and why?
BACH – Classical Music. - If you were a cocktail, how would you describe yourself?
Smooth and Potent. - Who in the world would you most like to sit down and have a drink with — living or dead?
No one in particular. - Single piece of advice to for young people?
Do the best always. Never compromise. - Who’s career do you envy and why?
Baseball coaches – overpaid for a simple task. - When you were 16-years-old, what did you most often get in trouble for?
Driving too fast.
- If there were one word to describe your family life growing up as a child, what would it be?
Competitive. - What is the most important thing you remember about your first love?
I liked her!!!!! - What would you like your legacy to be?
He cared about people – about making their lives better.
About Hemant Rustogi