Jacob Brown

Full Name: Jacob Brown

Grad Year: ​2026

Degree/Program: ​MS in DACSS

Current Title: Rotational Analyst

Current Employer: The Hanover Insurance Group

What is the core mission of your role, or what is a major project you are currently working on? As a Rotational Analyst at The Hanover Insurance Group, my core mission is to understand how different departments use data to drive business decisions and support their key initiatives. The program rotates every 10 weeks, providing a “try it before you buy it” experience that helps early-career professionals explore different areas of the business and identify where their interests and strengths align.

Day-to-day, I split my time between smaller ad hoc work—such as data pulls and Power BI dashboard updates—and a larger rotation project where I conduct research, analyze data, and present insights to leadership at the end of each cycle. The most exciting part of my work is the variability—no two days feel the same. I’ve also had the opportunity to connect with a wide range of people across the company in a short amount of time, which has helped me quickly build both knowledge and relationships throughout the organization.

How did you find your current position: During my internship last summer, my internship manager also happened to be the manager for the rotational program. After learning more about the opportunity, I took the initiative to connect with several internship managers across the company to build relationships and ensure I was on their radar during the selection process. Ultimately, it was a combination of being in the right place at the right time and intentional networking that helped me secure the role.

Is there a specific skill, methodology, or lesson from your degree that you rely on to do your work successfully? I’ve found that the ability to question assumptions, be curious, and not take things at face value has been essential to working efficiently and effectively. While it can be easy to accept the simplest answer, data is inherently complex, so I make a point to ask clarifying questions, validate my work against available resources, and get input from colleagues when needed. This approach helps ensure the quality and accuracy of my work is as strong as possible.

Looking back, what was a pivotal moment, favorite class, or faculty mentorship during your time in the program that directly shaped how you approach your career today? My Sports Analytics course with Dr. Stapleton was highly influential in shaping how I approach my work today. A key concept from the course was distinguishing between “noise” and true signals in data. This framework is especially relevant in my current role, where much of the data is still new to me. Being able to separate meaningful changes from random variation helps me improve both the speed and accuracy of my analysis and decision-making.

If you could give one piece of advice to a student who is on the fence about starting the MS in DACSS, what would it be? Don’t underestimate the value of hands-on work in a small classroom setting, particularly on your ability to process problems and create solutions. When you have a vested interest in the work you are doing, you produce your best work, and DACSS creates a framework for you to find your passions and structure data based projects around them.