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Kevin Finnegan ’11
Kevin Finnegan ’11, wearing a light blue blazer, speaks into a microphone at a podium with a wood-paneled background.
Kevin Finnegan ’11, wearing a light blue blazer, speaks into a microphone at a podium with a wood-paneled background.
Mac showed me how I learn and how I connect with people, so that I could go on to help others define what success looks like for them.
Kevin Finnegan ’11

Political Science and Education Majors
Customer Solutions Lead, AwardSpring
Higher ed • MBA • Student athlete • AmeriCorps

My Mac story takes its first turn as a sophomore: I liked econ, it did not like me, so I shifted to education for my second major. Everything I’ve done since has somehow centered on education.

I’ve worked for nonprofits that enable college access for first-generation students, and I’ve been a human capital consultant at Deloitte, the largest professional services company in the world, supporting higher education and government clients. At the edtech company Award Spring, I now partner with colleges, foundations, and other nonprofits to align funding strategies with measurable impacts.

I feel fortunate to have built a career built on the values that I was able to define through Mac. As a three-year captain of the football team, I had to navigate the relationship between the team and the administration, and I learned I work best when I serve as the glue in the room. Although football was not going to be my career, the team showed me the Mac community: people who are willing to drop everything to help each other and alumni who advocate for and mentor current students.

My first job, through AmeriCorps, was at College Possible. I have never worked harder, gotten paid less, or made more of a difference. Then I opened a Chicago branch of the national nonprofit iMentor, mobilizing my Macalester network to mentor brilliant students who needed funding and guidance to access and finish college. I eventually earned dual degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and Public Policy (MPP), but so much of my success goes back to the personal learning and perspective on the world that my liberal arts degree gave me.

In retrospect, my work life has circled around helping students define their own career success through this nonlinear path of life. If I were giving current students advice, I’d offer two things. First, the most important part of your job search is self-reflection: What am I looking for? What can I really bring? What are the gaps between what I can bring and where I am going? And second, remember that your Macalester network is a great place to open conversations and find advocates. I’ve been on the Mac Alumni Board for six years, and just started a term as president, and Mac alums have been a wise and supportive community of mentors and for me ever since I graduated.

Last updated: October 2025