Concordia University Wisconsin welcomes Dr. Brian Curry as the new MBA program director within the Batterman School of Business.


In his position, Curry will oversee the entirety of the university’s MBA operations, including online, international, at centers, and at both campuses in Wisconsin and Ann Arbor. He succeeds Dr. Carrie Buri, who has retired after 16 years with the university.

Curry is a lifelong learner and entrepreneur with four advanced degrees, including a PhD. in Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and three startups under his belt. During his 25-plus years in business, Curry has mentored more than 100 companies and built his own businesses in the health sciences sector. It was through his various entrepreneur ventures that he came to know Concordia.

Curry was introduced to Concordia through fellow health sciences entrepreneur, Dr. Dan Sem, dean of the Batterman School of Business. Sem often invited Curry to campus to participate as a judge and mentor to students in innovative business competitions. Those casual invitations led Curry to help write course curriculum, which further led him to start adjunct teaching, which ultimately led him to pursue the program director position when it was announced in spring.

“I fell in love with the students and the culture immediately,” explains Curry. He was particularly drawn to the campus rhythm of daily chapel and noted how openly students and leaders expressed their Christian faith and devotion to the Scripture.

Curry’s academic career began with a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Michigan State University. He went on to earn a Master of Science degree in biomedical sciences from Western Michigan University. He obtained a Master of Business degree from the University of Phoenix, and a second degree, a Master of Science in pharmacology and toxicology, from the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Curry and his wife of 35 years, Barb, have owned three companies in SE Wisconsin, including:
• Simply1Life, Inc. – Developer of nutraceuticals and functional foods with the goal to help individuals maintain their optimal health and wellness.
• PhysioGenix, Inc. – Provider of pre-clinical services to pharmaceutical companies.
• Functional Design, Inc. – Developer of various market-driven designs.

Concordia’s Master in Business program will soon be headquartered in The Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center, a state-of-the-art 41,000-square-foot academic building that is scheduled to open in fall, 2019. The Center will house Concordia University’s Batterman School of Business, dedicated to innovative entrepreneurism and the scholarly pursuit of free market principles.

In the meantime, Curry will be doing some building of his own. “I intend to focus on just one goal: to build the most innovative MBA program to seed Christian leaders throughout the globe,” says Curry.

— Lisa Liljegren is vice president of marketing and strategic communications.

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