Accelerating his career trajectory

When Ryan Durr (MBA ’25) left Southern California for Chapel Hill, he wasn’t seeking a change in scenery. He was seeking conviction.

What he found was transformation — academic, professional and personal.

“I grew up in California and thought that if I ever pursued an MBA, it would be at UCLA or USC,” Durr says.

But after attending a UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School event and learning about the Fundamental Investment Practicum, Alpha Challenge and experiential-learning opportunities in the Center for Excellence in Investment Management, he decided to reach out to Quincy Field (MBA ’23), who was then the Investment Management Club president.

“That first conversation was so warm,” says Durr. “He kept introducing me to more people at UNC Kenan-Flagler, and I started to feel something different.” Davis Morrison (MBA ’23) took time out of his vacation to hop on a call – scheduled for 20 minutes but turned into an hour – with Durr.

The chain reaction of introductions quickly became something more decisive.

“After those conversations, I looked at other schools, but nothing compared. UNC Kenan-Flagler was the only school I applied to,” he says. “I told myself that if I did not get into UNC, I was not going to get an MBA. I had that much conviction in the program.”

He was rewarded for that conviction in the Full-Time MBA Program. Durr was not only a standout in the investment management program but also one of the most engaged student leaders on campus.

Accelerating his career

Durr came from the investment industry. A graduate of California State University, Northridge, he had worked as a trust reporting analyst for U.S. Bank in Irvine and an investment analyst for the Orange County Employees’ Retirement System in Santa Ana before coming to Carolina.

His passion for investment management stems from his fascination with complexity – both structural and strategic.

“I just love how complex and fast-moving the markets are,” he says. “There are no hard rules, things are always changing. And the idea that you’re allocating capital to help build something, that’s what makes it exciting.”

Durr built his skills in investment analysis with a Concentration in Capital Markets and Investments.

He also participated in Projects for Investment Management Experiential-Learning Program (PRIME), which matched him with Morgan Creek Capital Management. There he provided pivotal analysis of different investment opportunities and conducted detailed due diligence. He went on to do similar capital allocation work during his summer internship at Cambridge Associates in San Francisco and Boston, where he accepted a full-time position after graduation.

One of his most pivotal MBA experiences was preparing for the Alpha Challenge, UNC Kenan-Flagler’s highly competitive investment pitch competition. The experience forced him to examine not just his arguments, but how he carried himself under pressure.

“One classmate told me to stop backing down when someone questions you — you’ve done the research, so own it,” he says. “Up until then, my instinct had always been to retreat. That has been my default for most of my life.”

Things changed quickly. “Getting ready for the Alpha Challenge taught me how to handle pressure and actually steer the conversation,” Durr says. “I learned how to back up my views with research and not get thrown off. That changed the way I talk to people — not just in finance, but in general.”

Durr with his Alpha Challenge team

It was a lightbulb moment, he says, but not the only one.

Serving as treasurer for the MBA Student Association (MBASA) placed him at the center of financial operations for more than 20 student clubs.

“I managed a budget of nearly $300,000,” he says. “The MBASA raised the money, did the taxes, presented to the board – alumni and professors – and approved every club’s budget. It forced me to understand how everything fits together.”

Beyond technical skills, the experience taught him diplomacy.

“It’s tough telling someone their event’s not getting funded,” he says. “I had to learn how to say no in a way that still respected what they were trying to do. That role taught me how to have hard conversations.”

If Durr’s story sounds unusually collaborative for a finance-focused MBA program, that is no accident. UNC Kenan-Flagler, he says, runs on a different culture — one rooted in humility, warmth and mutual support.

“It is not a cutthroat environment,” he says. “If someone is struggling to find a job, people start sending job listings, reviewing resumes, helping with mock interviews. There is no jealousy — people genuinely want to help each other. I saw it repeatedly.”

That sense of community starts with small gestures.

“It is the kind of place where people say hello in the hallway or stop for a quick conversation on the sidewalk,” he says. “I constantly did that, which usually made me late to class.”

His time at UNC Kenan-Flagler was defined by professional growth and deep personal development – outcomes he could not have predicted.

“It delivered way more than I imagined,” he says. “In terms of leadership, personal growth and confidence, I walked away a different and, hopefully, better person.”