Why veterans choose Olin

Brian Fromal can speak Ukrainian, Russian, Persian and Dari. He has years of experience in operations management and strategic planning at corporations big and small. He also served 14 years as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy, where he excelled as a leader and a communicator.

And yet, Fromal wanted more from his career.

“Sitting in high-level planning meetings, I saw that my peers were using a whole different toolkit to get to their solutions,” Fromal recalled. “Though I had the experience, I didn’t have the education. Webinars and YouTube videos can help, but I understood that becoming fluent in business is like becoming fluent in a language. You have to immerse yourself.”

Enter Olin Business School. Fromal knew the school offered 15 top-notch graduate business programs, including its executive MBA program for senior leaders like Fromal. What he didn’t know was that Olin Business boasts a large enrollment of veterans like him. He is now in his second year as an EMBA student and an active member of the Olin Veterans Association (OVA), a growing network of Olin MBA students and alumni.

“As a student, I appreciate the skills and network that come with an Olin degree. As a veteran, I appreciate the esprit de corps,” Fromal said. “Olin has really leaned in to bringing in talented veterans and making them feel safe and supported so they can then flourish in this new kind of endeavor, which can be scary.”

That’s the goal, said Seth Kirchhoff, associate director of admissions and military veteran liaison — and a U.S. Army veteran. Since he joined the business school four years ago, the school has doubled its number of veteran students to 80. Most veteran MBA students attend WashU for free, using a combination of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Yellow Ribbon benefits and Olin scholarship dollars.

“That has been a powerful message to take to my veteran networks,” Kirchhoff said. “I’ll say, ‘Have you ever thought about an MBA? Because you should. I’m here to tell you, if you get in and have your GI Bill, you won’t pay anything.’ And the payoff is huge. Boeing and Mastercard, Worldwide Technologies — they all talk about how our MBA graduates walk in the door and almost immediately add value and make an impact.”

Kirchhoff and the OVA also launched new professional and social programs for veterans. Recent events include a happy hour at the home of Mike Mazzeo, the Judy and Jerry Kent Dean and Knight Family Professor at Olin Business School, a 5K on campus, and a “dining out,” a formal military ball.

“It is universally a good time. Our veterans love how we integrate this military tradition into the tradition of WashU and Olin,” Kirchhoff said. “The OVA has historically played such a big part in our culture. Everybody wants to feel like they belong somewhere, and the OVA lets veterans and their families know that place is here.”

Mazzeo said veteran students make the school — and the region — stronger.

“Our veteran students bring tremendous leadership experience, perspective and intentionality to Olin,” Mazzeo said. “With the support and connections they receive at Olin, they graduate ready to make a meaningful impact in St. Louis and beyond.”

Fromal has lived across the globe, including in Ukraine, where he met his wife. The family moved to St. Louis in 2024 for his wife’s career as a retina specialist.

“The only thing she knew about St. Louis was the Arch, but she immediately fell for the people in the city,” Fromal recalled.

Fromal recently formed the development company OODA with a fellow EMBA student and local entrepreneur. OODA, a military term, stands for “observe, orient, decide, act.” The company’s goal is to rebuild the Fountain Park neighborhood, which was devastated by the 2025 tornado. Currently, the company is focused on adding new single-family and multifamily homes.

“As a transplant, I see what this neighborhood could be for the people who live there now and new residents,” Fromal said. “We love it here and want St. Louis to be our forever home.”