Student profile: Bobby Bruning, Evening Master’s Program Class of 2021

Bobby Bruning, Evening Master’s Program Class of 2021, was always interested in politics. Going into undergrad at the University of Arkansas, he planned to pursue a political science degree until a macroeconomics course changed that trajectory. “I took that class in the middle of the 2007–08 Financial Crisis. The markets were crashing around us, and my teacher made us feel like we were right inside what was happening. He talked about what the Federal Reserve was doing and what was setting off the crisis. I thought it was fascinating, and that experience drove me to major in finance.”    
 
After graduating, Bruning did a yearlong rotational program at the investment bank Raymond James & Associates in Tampa, Florida, where he united his passion for finance and policy by working with not-for-profit organizations, state and local governments, and charter schools, among others, to help them enter the bond market.
 
Bruning currently works for Kaufman, Hall & Associates in Chicago, focusing on financing for not-for-profit health systems. There, he helps health systems fund projects and other strategic initiatives by accessing both the public and private capital markets. “In healthcare, you are right in the middle of reacting to policy and helping healthcare systems with their finances. It is the best of both worlds.”
 
While at Kaufman, Hall & Associates, Bruning also quickly recognized healthcare was a highly regulated industry, and that financing and business decisions are often impacted by public policy decisions—which spurred his interest in learning more about policy. “And now I’m pursuing my degree in public policy to help shape the policies that impact my work.”
 
Another key reason Bruning wanted to pursue a degree in public policy was his brother. In 2013, Bruning’s then 21-year-old brother was floating in a river with some friends when they came to a bridge and all jumped off. But Bruning’s brother dove in, hitting a rock on the bottom, which resulted in a severe spinal cord injury. He became paralyzed and spent a few years at The Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
Bruning subsequently became involved with The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, and many of the people he interacted with at the Foundation focus on national healthcare public policy. Working alongside them has helped Bruning to better understand the impacts of these policies on people with injuries like his brother’s. “There have been major improvements to help those with spinal cord injuries, but they are often expensive. To think that a tough fundraising year for a nonprofit might mean some people who are paralyzed don’t get access to new technology is something that needs to change.”
 
Having previously earned his MBA from Southern Methodist University while working, Bruning wanted to do the same with his public policy degree. “With the Evening Master’s Program, I could continue advancing in my career while also advancing my education, and Harris’ data-driven approach to policy would accelerate my ability to give back.”
 
Just a few months into the Evening Master’s Program, Bruning said the program is already paying off in his work. “What I am learning in class applies to many situations I face with my clients on a regular basis. The program is making me a better healthcare consultant and helping me add value to my company. It is also giving me the skills to become a better advocate for those with spinal cord injuries.”
 
Bruning also praised the Harris community and administration’s navigation of the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. “It is clear that staff and faculty care about students as individuals and have done a great job supporting us despite the challenges.”