President's Report | Page 13

PART 3

MARKET FIRST , PARTNER IN

How a publicly traded financial

tech company recruited its nextgen

workforce from the stands

of historic Swisher Gym .

Black Knight , Inc . is known for driving

innovation and pushing boundaries . Their

disruptive technology and tools for lenders are

transforming the mortgage industry .

So when Black Knight executive Tom Peterson

EMBA ' 06 decided to start an internship program

with his alma mater 15 years ago , he looked

beyond the classroom . He wasn ’ t just looking

for the best and brightest . He was looking for

people who understand teamwork . People who

are humble and hungry , who understand early

mornings and late nights , who aren ’ t afraid of

hard work . He was looking for student-athletes .

“ Being part of a team at the collegiate level means

you understand that you can ’ t get your job done

without the help of others ,” says Tom .

As a graduate of Jacksonville University ’ s

top-ranked Executive MBA program , Tom knew

there was talent waiting to be tapped . But he

didn ’ t expect that to grow into a pipeline of

next-gen leaders who would rise to the highest

levels of the company .

In the beginning , they were all business

students . And they were all student-athletes

with a unique mix of skills that translated to

the corporate world . Tom became a familiar

face in Swisher Gym . He attended Dolphin

basketball , baseball , lacrosse , and volleyball

games . He sat among recruiters looking for

their next talented rookie while he recruited for

an entirely different purpose .

One night at a basketball game , MBA student

Logan James ' 07 /' 09 took a chance and

introduced himself to Tom . “ I said ‘ I ’ m a

baseball player . I ’ m working on my MBA ,

and I ’ m very interested in learning about

your company ,’” says Logan . He knew Tom

was looking for student-athletes . And he

understood why .

“ Failure is a part of sports , but when you fail ,

you ’ re failing the team — not just yourself ,” says

Logan . The hours spent practicing , playing ,

and traveling also meant he had to manage

his time wisely to make good grades . Those

lessons paid dividends for Logan . Today he manages all the cutting-edge tools and systems that support client-facing teams at Black Knight , and he plays an active role in mentoring new Dolphin grads .

To date , more than 100 Jacksonville University graduates have started their careers with Black Knight . At all levels , across many fields , Dolphin alumni power the fast-moving tech company , including some of Tom ’ s early recruits . People like Steve Eagertont ’ 10 /' 12 , a former Dolphin pitcher who now serves as vice president of investor relations at Black Knight and helped the company navigate a successful $ 500 million IPO .

“ It ’ s not about pulling each other off the ladder . It ’ s about pushing each other up the ladder .”

Tom Peterson EMBA ' 06 | former Black Knight Division Vice President for Lending Solutions

Now Black Knight welcomes more than a

dozen Jacksonville University students into

their competitive internship program each

year . And Tom , who retired in 2018 , continues

to serve as a mentor to students on campus ,

helping them launch careers of their own .

JACKSONVILLE UNIVERSITY 2021 PRESIDENT ' S REPORT PAGE 27