For more than 20 years, Dennis McIntosh, M.B.A. ’81 has succeeded in the insurance and technology industries, rising to the position of executive vice president and chief financial officer of SBLI Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, while working on the launch of three startup technology companies.
Through it all, he has credited his experiences at UConn with teaching him the skills to get ahead in business.
“My M.B.A. classes taught me how to balance many activities and succeed with multiple forces pulling on me,” he says. “Success in business is about applying those same skills. You’re forced to make sales, manage your gross margins, keep up with unforeseen changes in regulation, travel within your expenses to meet a bottom line and so much more. It’s about keeping a balance and not being overly swayed in any one direction.”
The first in his family to graduate from either high school or college, McIntosh says the support he received in his own studies made the decision to give to UConn especially appropriate.
“I realized that I’ve reached a point in my life when it’s time to give back,” he says.
From that realization came the McIntosh Family M.B.A. Scholarship, recently created with a $30,000 gift, which McIntosh views as just a start; he looks to increase it in the future. The endowed scholarship will be targeted to full-time M.B.A. students with a demonstrated financial need. McIntosh says his goal isn’t to support any one field of study, but rather the pursuit of an education for those deserving students who may not be able to afford it themselves.
“Everyone has a different set of skills, so I didn’t want to focus on a particular area of business. I hope that the gift helps those who receive the scholarship to maximize their own abilities, whatever they are. I also hope that it leads them to make their own gift in the future,” he says.
The scholarship was made in his entire family’s name to make a point.
“I’ve always believed that if you’re a leader, your success isn’t just about you. No one gets to where they are solo; it’s about the entire team who helped you. My parents, although they never attended college, were very supportive of my education, even if they never fully understood it themselves.”
“I had an extremely positive experience at UConn,” McIntosh says, recalling his days commuting to class and occasionally even teaching undergraduate accounting classes. “Giving back to the University makes me feel good.”
To support the School of Business, please contact Diana L. Timlin, CFRE, Director of Development, at 860.486.2656.
