Sloanies Talking with Sloanies
Sloanies Talking with Sloanies is a conversational podcast with alumni and faculty about the MIT Sloan experience and how it influences what they're doing today. Over the course of this podcast, you will hear from guests who are making a difference in their community, including our own very important one here at Sloan. Sloanies Talking with Sloanies is produced by the Office of External Relations at MIT Sloan School of Management. Support for this podcast comes in part from the Sloan Annual Fund, which provides essential flexible funding to ensure that our community can pursue excellence. Make your gift today by visiting giving.mit.edu/sloan.
Sloanies Talking with Sloanies
A conversation with Captain Brian Erickson, SFMBA ’21
Captain Brian Erickson, SFMBA ’21, joins Christopher Reichert, MOT ’04, to talk about his career from a 17-year-old service member in the Coast Guard to its first Chief Data Officer. Capt. Erickson explores leadership and innovation in a 233-year-old organization.
He talks about growing up in a small town in Washington State, and the opportunities and experiences of serving in the U.S. Coast Guard for over 30 years. He’s been an engineer and pilot and had participated in the rescue of over 35 people.
Just before Sloan, Capt. Erickson was a budget reviewer for Coast Guard headquarters operational capabilities offices and was responsible for program requests for $1.3B and over 14,000 personnel. He was the Commanding Officer of a 110-member Coast Guard Air Station serving the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia, and North Florida, before being selected for the MIT Sloan Fellows program in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic.
He has some great insights into leadership and innovation as he reflects on his time at MIT Sloan and what it takes to succeed in ever-increasing positions of responsibility, leading to his current role as inaugural Chief Digital Officer for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Capt. Erickson can be reached on LinkedIn and welcomes talking with alumni and prospective students.
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