Dallas Bray, MA International Affairs, Class of 2012, #ElliottProud Alumni
Dallas Bray is a Manager with KPMG in the Financial Services Solutions practice base in Los Angeles. He holds an MA in International Affairs from the George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, an MBA from the George Washington University School of Business, and a BA in Anthropology from North Carolina State University. In his role at KPMG, he helps global banking organizations tackle their most difficult problems, from large-scale system transformation, new product development, regulatory and legal compliance, and overall risk management. Prior to KPMG, Dallas was a data analyst at Navy Federal Credit Union where he managed risk on the lending portfolio. Before attending GW, Dallas spent three years living in Japan working as an English teacher and an executive recruiter.
Describe your current position and what are your primary responsibilities?
As a Manager at KPMG in the Financial Services Solutions practice, I help banking organizations solve large scale problems, including the development of new payments platforms, dealing with regulatory issues, and managing risk.
How does your current position compare to what you thought you would be doing when you first started your degree at the Elliott School?
When I first started at ESIA, I imagined that my post-graduation work would be more research based, like a think tank or government agency. Now what I’m doing is much more technical and people facing, involving a combination of data analysis, project management, and presentations to clients.
What part of your career do you find most rewarding and why?
Seeing a project I’ve worked on become a real product that a person can use is very rewarding. I’ve worked on a number of projects related to immediate payment transfers, and those have turned into actual branded products and services that people can use every day through their banking smartphone app.
In your experience, how has a graduate degree related to international affairs been valuable?
My graduate degree has given me a view of the interconnectedness of the global economy, which has really helped me have the foundation to better understand the financial and economic impacts that my clients are facing as global financial institutions.
What three songs have you been listening to the most in the past month?
- Cigarettes and Moon Pies by Nathan Evans Fox (I live in LA but am originally from NC, this one reminds me of home)
- Think About Things by Daði Freyr
- Ballin’ by Mustard
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The #ElliottProud profile series is managed by the Elliott School Office of Graduate Admissions and highlights graduate program alumni to answer common questions posed by prospective, incoming, and current students. For more information on this series or to submit questions, e-mail the Office of Graduate Admissions at esiagrad@gwu.edu.
The views expressed by students profiled do not necessarily represent those of organizations they work for, are affiliated with, or the Elliott School of International Affairs.
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