For Jordan Bryan, success hasn’t just been about building a career – it’s been about doing so with intention.
Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Jordan moved to New York City after graduating from college, working in the finance sector. After a few years in the hustle and bustle of America’s largest city, she felt a pull back to the place that shaped her the most: home.
Today, she’s a shareholder at Ross & Yerger Insurance, Inc., a staple in the Jackson business community, where she helps clients navigate the often-complex world of insurance. And she’s the first to say she wouldn’t be where she is without Millsaps.
“I wouldn’t have my job if it weren’t for Millsaps,” she said. And she means that quite literally. One of her Millsaps professors, Dr. Walter Neely, introduced her to Dudley Wooley, the current CEO of Ross & Yerger and a fellow Millsaps MBA graduate. That connection turned into a conversation, which turned into a job offer, ultimately launching her career in the insurance industry.
A Special Place
Fifteen years since getting her MBA at the Millsaps Else School of Management, now a vice president and shareholder at R&Y, Jordan sees that her path to Millsaps wasn’t by chance. “I always knew about Millsaps because it’s such an integral part of the Jackson community,” she said.
Having attended St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, where many classmates and alumni were closely tied to Millsaps, the college always stood out as a place of prestige and purpose. “I knew so many business people and parents who were Millsaps alums that I looked up to so much. I knew it was a special place,” she said.
Before coming to Millsaps, Jordan had already earned an undergraduate degree and completed several years in corporate America. Taking some time before pursuing a graduate degree gave her a taste of the real world. “Moving to NYC gave me the chance to spread my wings,” she said. “It was incredible, I felt like I learned so much in my first two weeks there, just being in that fast-paced environment.”
Coming Home
But ultimately, she and her husband chose to return to Jackson. “We moved home from New York for me to do my MBA at Millsaps,” she said. “Family is where your heart is, so I always knew we would end up back here.”
After years sharing a city with eight million neighbors, the small class sizes and personalized education at Millsaps were a refreshing change of pace. “For my Master’s, I really enjoyed getting that smaller classroom experience. My teachers knew my name; I wasn’t just a number.”
It’s easy to think of education as nothing more than a lecture, but Millsaps does things differently. “There was a lot more conversation between students rather than it just being instruction-based,” she said. “Plus, most of my professors had been in the business world and came back to teach. Having professors with real-world experience was invaluable.”
Jordan credits Millsaps with not only shaping her career trajectory but also refining her sense of purpose. “Millsaps helped me determine what I wanted out of a company that I would work for,” she reflected. “What Millsaps does really well is teach you how to learn and constantly evolve.”
A Heart for Jackson
Having grown up in Mississippi’s capital city, Jackson holds a special place in Jordan’s heart. She is deeply invested in the well-being and future of the city. From serving on the board of Friends of Children’s Hospital to working with the Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and now co-chairing a capital campaign for her alma mater, St. Andrew’s, Jordan’s love for Jackson and its people is crystal clear. It’s one of her many shared values with Millsaps.
More Than a Single Moment
“When I think about my experience at Millsaps, I don’t just think about a single moment that transformed me,” she said. “I think about the people. You’re sitting in the classroom with the best and the brightest, and you become a better person because of it.”
Even though it’s been over a decade since she earned her MBA, she is very much still a part of the Millsaps community. “When I see a professor, they still know me. They ask how my career is going, how my kids are doing. That means a lot.”
As someone who now helps make hiring decisions herself, Jordan says that seeing Millsaps on a resume speaks volumes. “You know the output of the person is going to be of a certain caliber,” she said.
Looking back, so many factors aligned at just the right time, making it clear Millsaps was the ideal place to pursue her MBA. Jordan received the Allison Coggin Lee Endowed Scholarship, the largest award offered to a driven, committed and exceptional MBA student.
It’s something she describes as a blessing that helped her make the move to Millsaps with confidence. And today, she encourages others to do the same. “Just do it. Furthering your education at Millsaps is an experience you won’t regret. It will push you in ways you probably didn’t know you could be pushed,” she said. “But you’ll come out with skills and practical knowledge that you just don’t get in every classroom.”
Jordan’s journey reflects what Millsaps does best: building leaders rooted in purpose, shaped by their community and ready to make a difference wherever they go. In Jordan’s case, that impact started right at home.