avid ("Dave") Brower is a native of the Lansing area, having graduated from Okemos High School in 1965. He attended MSU, completing his BA in Accounting in June 1969 and his MBA in Finance in December 1970. He was an auditor at the public accounting firm of Ernst & Ernst, Lansing Office, from 1971 - until October 1979, obtaining his Michigan CPA certification in 1973. Mr. Brower held various positions at MSU during his career, which spanned 32 years, retiring at the end of December 2011. In October 1979, Mr. Brower started his career at MSU as Assistant Controller of Student Services and moved to the position of Assistant Controller of Administrative Services in 1982. In 1995 he was promoted to Controller and to Assistant Vice President, CFO and Controller in 2001. In this position, he worked to ensure that MSU operated with the highest degree of financial integrity; that issues affecting the financial health of the university were identified and strategies formulated to deal with those issues; that timely and appropriate financial decisions were made; that University assets were safeguarded; and, that accounting financial policies and procedures were developed and updated as required by state and federal regulations and changes in governmental accounting standards. For several years before his retirement, Mr. Brower's served on a MSU steering committee charged with developing and replacing MSU’s 40-year-old financial system and it’s over 25-year-old Human Resource and Payroll Systems. As a result of this effort, in 2011 MSU implemented the Kuali Open-Source Finance System and the SAP HR/Payroll Systems, which have evolved and are still being used today. Mr. Brower committed several years to assist in conceptual development of "The Kuali Open Source" financial software and was a member of the related Kuali Foundation developing the software. Mr. Brower's involvement in the development of the Kuali Open-Source Financial System was instrumental to its success.Mr. Brower was widely respected by the campus community as an open and inclusive leader. He is a strong advocate for transparency and win-win solutions to problems. In 2009 he was one of the recipients of the MSU Outstanding Supervisor of the Year award. As part of his university outreach activities Mr. Brower represented MSU in numerous areas. He was a board member and officer for the Lansing/Jackson Chapter of the National Association of Accountants for many years. For over 30 years, he was a board member of the University Club of MSU, serving as treasurer or president for many of those years. Upon his retirement, he was made an Emeritus Board Member of the Club.Mr. Brower has been recognized on numerous occasions for his long-time dedication to area community service organizations, including the YMCA Board of Metropolitan Lansing, an organization he became involved with in 1980. He served in various leadership roles for the Y over the years and was awarded the Y’s Volunteer of the Year award in 1985 and 2022. He also served on the Capital Area United Way Board and was awarded their Volunteer of the Year Award in 1999.His volunteer service continues up to the present time. A long-time member of the Peoples Church of East Lansing, he has been a member of the Finance Ministry for the past 25 years, having served as church treasurer for 7 years during that time. After retirement, he served for 12 years as board member and treasurer of Burcham Hill Life Care Community in East Lansing and started volunteering for the Wharton Center for the Performing Arts as a member of their Inner Circle Volunteer support group. At their recent Inner Circle Volunteer Event in May 2026, he received the Wharton Center Directors Award for “for exemplary volunteer service, dedication and friendship.” Mr. Brower was elected as the MSU Retirees Association (MSURA) President for fiscal years (FY) 24-25 and FY 25-26, his second year ending June 30, 2026. He served as the MSURA Treasurer for 10 years prior to being elected president and, was an at-large board member prior to that. He received the MSURA’s Volunteer of the Year Award in 2023 and, for a second time in May 2026.Mr. Brower supports MSU in many ways. He is a major donor whose interests include the MSU Music School, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts, MSU Athletics scholarships, and the MSURA Endowed Scholarship Fund. He was also an early supporter of the MSU Leadership Spartan Scholarship Challenge Fund. In addition, he has long held season tickets for MSU athletics and the Wharton Center. In retirement, he enjoys traveling, movies, reading and attending various events and functions on campus. He also enjoys biking and walking on campus. Since retirement, he has become a big jazz music fan, volunteering at local jazz festivals and enjoying performances by MSU Jazz faculty and students. Thank you to Brock Fletcher and the selling team of Keller Williams Realty for their continued support of our programming! 'The Tom Matt Show' Heard on- The Michigan Talk NetworkWKAR Michigan State Universities AM 870 & 102.3 FMWJIM-AM 1240 LansingWYPV FM 94.5 Mackinac Citywww.tommattshow.com(podcasts)iTunes For more information on past guests, Tom's published books, and how to get in touch, please visit our newly updated website at https://www.tommattshow.com #RFZ #radio #broadcasting #podcast #michiganradio #lansing #michiganradio #mab #refirementzone #successstory #humaninterestpodcast #selfhelppodcast
