DEAN P. O’BRIEN
Dean O'Brien has over 10 years of professional experience in real estate development and commercial finance. He currently serves as a health construction financing specialist and senior account manager at the Cal-Mortgage Loan Insurance Program.
One of O'Brien's proudest accomplishments has been organizing and leading the Drexel University Sacramento Alumni Group for the last four years. As president, O'Brien has been instrumental in promoting young alumni engagement and building strong community ties through volunteer, fundraising, and networking events, many of which are delivered in partnership with local non-profits and the larger Alumni Association. The group now serves more than 500 alumni in the Sacramento area.
O'Brien is the current membership committee chair for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Sacramento District Council and immediate past chair of the ULI Young Leaders Group. He was recently selected to join the American River Parkway Foundation Executive Board, which supports the preservation of the 35-mile paved bike path that runs throughout the greater Sacramento area. O'Brien is also a Rotarian and serves on the Planning and Events Committee for the Sacramento Century, a 100-mile bike ride that benefits Habitat for Humanity.
O'Brien is a founding member of the Metro EDGE, the young professionals group of the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce. The group now boasts 500 members, many of whom are also Drexel alumni. In 2014, O'Brien was recognized as one of the Sacramento regions 40 Under 40 by the Sacramento Business Journal.
Dean received the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award at Alumni Weekend 2015.
Where in the world have you never been and you would love to visit?
I would love to visit Southeast Asia. The food, culture and people are something I am looking forward to experiencing first hand.
What are you most proud of?
One of my proudest accomplishments is organizing and leading the Drexel University Sacramento Alumni Group. While providing stewardship over the last four years, the Sacramento Alumni Group has grown from 76 alumni in 2012 to over 650 alumni in 2015. As president of the Sacramento Alumni Group, I host regular meetings, events, and sports teams including dodgeball, kickball, and softball team designed to promote alumni engagement in the area. During my tenure the primary focus has been increasing young alumni engagement and building strong community ties through volunteer, sporting, and networking events, in addition to partnering with local non-profits and the Drexel University Alumni Office at main campus in Philadelphia.
What is a little known fact about you?
I am an avid cyclist. I bike commute to work every day and ride at least 100 miles per week. During Sacramento's annual May is Bike Month Challenge, I led a team of Drexel alumni who rode a combined 2,490 miles, and helped lead the charge logging 1,105.1 miles individually in May 2015.
What is your personal or professional mantra?
I try and live by the mantra of being a man for others in all aspects of my personal and professional life.
If you could say “thank you” to someone at Drexel who would it be and why?
I never got a chance, but would have liked to have had the opportunity to thank past President Constantine Papadakis for bringing Drexel University to Sacramento and giving me a chance to have a bi-coastal post graduate experience. I would also like to recognize and thank Carl Tobey Oxholm, III for being Drexel's West Coast ambassador and heading up the Sacramento Center for Graduate Studies those first few years. I will forever be grateful and will always be a Dragon because of their efforts.