Ben has served at Duke in a variety of staff and teaching roles since 2012 following a career in investment banking and corporate finance. As the Managing Director in Duke I&E for Private Equity and Venture Capital, he seeks to advance education and pathways for students to be equipped for careers in private equity, venture capital and entrepreneurship through acquisition (ETA).
His career within the finance industry included advising corporate clients, founders and private equity firms on acquisitions, divestitures, leveraged finance transactions and IPOs. Ben has a passion for helping others, which was inspired by his mom who worked as a family counselor and his dad who practiced medical psychology and acupuncture. In returning to work at Duke, Ben enjoys investing in the student experience and “bringing the marketplace into the classroom”.
Ben co-teaches the Private Equity Buyouts Lab course at Fuqua designed to provide students with direct exposure to the private equity investing process through engagement with Duke alums within the industry and the application of investing principles. He also serves as adjunct faculty within the Duke Economics Department, teaching a course on Private Equity Buyouts.
Prior to his work in Duke I&E, Ben served as Managing Director within the Experiential Learning Office at Fuqua where he managed the Fuqua Client Consulting Practicum and the Mentored Study Program, which he continues to steward today. Ben began his staff career at Fuqua as the Sector Director for Finance in the Career Management Center, where he served as a career coach to students and employer relations lead for financial institutions recruiting at Fuqua.
Ben earned his BBA from Baylor University and his MBA from The Fuqua School of Business, at Duke University. Ben has held finance industry positions at Enron Corp, Wachovia Securities (now Wells Fargo) and Jefferies.
Ben’s interests include water skiing, being an avid fan of Louisiana sports teams (as well as Duke), and most of all cheering on his entrepreneurial spouse and their two daughters in life.