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Inside Bryan University’s Business Program: Meet Program Director Jennifer Newmann  

Emily Bradshaw

Published: | Last Updated:

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A smiling woman in graduation regalia for a masters degree

“When I knew I needed to go to my next job, Bryan was my first thought because I fell in love, literally fell in love with the pedagogy and the philosophy.”    

Dr. Jennifer Newmann’s path to Bryan University runs through a working relationship with President & CEO Eric Evans that goes back nearly a decade and — a laughing Dr. Newmann said — through a still outstanding debt of promised BBQ.  

“Eric and I have been arguing for almost 10 years,” she says. 

In actuality, she joined BU seven years ago and she serves as the Business Program Director. From the jump, it’s easy to tell she’s an outspoken, passionate, and candid educator. If you want someone to hold back, she’s not it. But if you want someone who strongly believes in what they’re doing, she’s your person.  

A Decade in the Making

Dr. Newmann was working at another school when she first met Eric Evans. When it came time for her to make her next career move, BU was her first thought. And, at the same time, Eric was looking for a business program director.  

She’ll tell you she drinks the BU Kool-Aid, and proudly. But jokes aside, her enthusiasm for BU’s student-centered learning approach is impossible to miss. Having worked at several other institutions, she’ll tell you flat out that none of them approach teaching and learning the way Bryan does. 

“I mean, I get chills about it even today. I’ve never been at a school that approached teaching and learning with the science, the philosophy, and the absolutely mission-driven concept. Having experience at a bunch of other schools, nobody in the industry does what we do. Nobody — not one single school.” 

That isn’t just a gut feeling; it’s backed by her academic expertise. Her doctorate in educational leadership focused heavily on organizational behavior and industrial psychology. She said academically she’s most interested in a field called Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS).  

“It’s all about using positive culture to influence organizational outcomes through culture. And there are so few places that really do this.”  

Why Bryan is Different

Bryan is one of the places she says is getting it right, based on her experience in higher education and her academic expertise.  

As evidence, she points to something Bryan has that she considers almost unheard of in higher education: a position within HR where the main focus is upholding company culture.  

“That’s not common. That’s unheard of, actually,” she said. “And she does it in such a way that is so meaningful to the institution. Whether you choose to participate in all the activities, they’re there, and it’s a constant, like community building in a remote environment. The way we do it here is just — it’s unheard of quite honestly.” 

The Job, in Plain Language

Her title is Business Programs Director, but she explains the job simply.  

“My job is to make sure everybody has what they need. That’s it. My job is to make sure that my faculty have what they need, that the students have what they need, that the coaches have what they need, that everybody has what they need.” 

She breaks the Program Director role in four areas: curriculum, faculty, students, and the institution itself. Her favorite, she says, is the curriculum.  

“My strongest love is the curriculum, because the curriculum is the bridge between the students and the faculty.” 

 She also loves it for a selfish reason: writing curriculum means she gets to keep learning. “When I write curriculum, I’m learning myself or refreshing and I love that,” she says. 

Which makes sense for someone who describes herself as a relentless consumer of information.  

From Research to the Classroom

Dr. Newmann didn’t start her career in education. She spent the early years in basic research before earning her MBA mid-career when she was ready to move up.  

She went on to earn her doctorate in educational leadership with a focus on organizational behavior and industrial psychology.  

Her background shines when she talks about running her programs. She thinks in terms of ROI, workplace readiness, and the realities her students face. Which brings us to what she calls her social justice issue.  

Her Social Justice Issue: ROI for Working Adults

She’s direct and passionate when it comes to the financial reality students everywhere face. Continuing your education isn’t a luxury to earn an abstract credential or degree, and she believes all students deserve more than graduating without understanding what they’re getting for their money.  

“My social justice issue is that our students, well, students in general, any working adult that is seeking life transformation with education, needs to be able to understand what capital is and what it does. And the reason I feel so strongly about that is because you can’t build wealth through debt.” 

That belief shapes how she approaches her job. If students are going to make this investment, she wants them to walk out the other side with skills they can actually use and a clear path to applying them.  

“If you’re going to make this kind of investment, you need to get a good return on your investment. You need to learn and you need to have skills that you can then leverage into a meaningful life transformation.” 

She gave an example of a student in the bachelor’s program who was worried she would only be able to work as a bookkeeper. Dr. Newmann helped her see she had options, like bookkeeping on the side and a career as a business analyst; things she hadn’t even thought of as possibilities. 

She’s also dedicated to hiring expert faculty and ensuring they’re supported so they can teach what they’re best at.  

“I’m a strong believer in hiring people that are way smarter than me so that they can do the jobs that I need to have done.” 

Her job is to make sure her faculty are supported and that students understand why the material they’re learning actually matters. 

The bachelor’s program culminates in a Business Capstone course that pushes them to think about who they are as leaders, how they work with others, and how to make professional relationships.  

How do you collaborate? How do you build a professional network? What kind of leader are you, even if you’ve never led anything?  

“They come out the other side of that, just profoundly transformed that they have more confidence and skills to be able to go out and do the real world. Like, I can do this. I can be one of these people.”  

The program is also being deliberately updated with AI woven throughout; not as a trend, but as a practical skill set.  

“Within the business context, why would you want to learn AI? Because if you want to be competitive in the marketplace, you need to be able to have at least proficient skills in using AI to effectuate business process improvement and change,” she said. “We’re being very intentional and deliberate about embedding AI skills all throughout the program.” 

She’s especially opinionated on uplifting others. She sees some of the old-school academic practices like nitpicking as a power play and says her faculty don’t operate that way.  

“We don’t believe that. You know what that is? That’s pulling up the ladder behind you once you get to the top. Instead, my faculty are putting the ladder down and they’re putting extensions on the ladder and then they’re holding hands and saying, hey man, we can pull you up. Hold my hand. I’m going to pull you. It’s going to be uncomfortable, but you can do this. Your shoulder might get a little out of the socket, but you’ll be fine. We’re going to pull you to the top no matter what; we’re not going to let them fail.” 

A Chapter That Changed Everything

A man and woman take a selfie at a hockey game in an arena filled with fans wearing yellow jerseys.

While still in her first 90 days at BU, Dr. Newmann’s husband was diagnosed with stage four cancer. When she found her family facing something unimaginably scary, she said BU was there.  

“Bryan was this incredible family and really helped me and my family through this. So, BU really has a place in my heart that will never be replaced, because if it wasn’t for the support we got at BU, I don’t know how I would have made it.”  

Her husband is now cancer free. Together, they give back to other families facing the same reality. She speaks with caregivers; he speaks with patients. It’s become a mission.  

The experience also reshaped how they live. They sold their home in California so they could travel constantly; ride motorcycles, go to sporting events, visit their kids, and so much more. Basically, they say yes to everything they can.   

“We go everywhere and do everything we possibly can because none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.”  

Four people taking a selfie in front of St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans' Jackson Square on a sunny day.

Faith is central to her family’s life, and it shows in how she talks about all of it.  

Outside of work, Dr. Newmann says she’s a voracious reader, a social media lurker (never a poster), and a passionate cook who has recently gone deep into sourdough. Her Predictive Index type is Maverick, which tracks. 

When asked, she recalls two pieces of advice that have stuck with her.  

The first was when she was 19 and her late mother told her, “Jennifer, everything in life is temporary. Everything. Everything. Your problem today is not going to be your problem tomorrow, so just rest in the knowledge that you’re going to be okay.”  

The second came from a venture capitalist she worked with professionally: “Hire slowly, fire quickly.” Translation: Be deliberate about who you bring into an organization. She said when someone is no longer a fit, not because they’re a bad person, but because the fit is gone, act quickly, because inaction poisons everyone else. She ran four small businesses applying that advice and said it served her well. 

Her advice for others considering a career at BU: “If you can really view learning and higher education as life transforming behaviors and activities and investments, then Bryan is the best place — the number one best place to be in order to live out that philosophy in work and get paid to do it.” 

Each month, we shine a light on one of our amazing team members through the Bryan University Employee Spotlight. Every employee is eligible. Want to join our team? Explore Careers at Bryan University! 

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