Crimson Shield May 2013

2013 Alumnus of the Year - II

Michael Kimble ('81)started working at CitiCorp Investment bank after graduating from Columbia in three years.

He tried to learn everything he could in order to get to the front office. After a year, he went to NYU at night for 2 1/2 years to earn an MBA in Finance with CitiCorp paying for it.
A week later, he applied to law school at Fordham, where he could attend part-time at night. He completed the JD but has never practiced law.
During this time, he became a credit analyst at CitiBank doing the unglamorous part of credit - risk analysis.

He moved to E. F. Hutton because he became frustrated trying to make progress in CitiCorp's bureaucratic structure.

Three months later, the Black Monday crash of 1987 occurred, causing large drops in stock prices around the globe.

It turned out to be a blessing because it got the headhunters swarming since so many were let go.

He got a job as a credit analyst in high-yield bonds at an insurance company. After a year learning another aspect of finance, he became a portfolio manager-analyst for high yield bonds at Chase Investors.
That's where he met the man who would become his boss and partner today at MacKay Shields in New York, where Michael is a Manager Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for the Global Fixed Income Team. His group includes about 25 people.

What I get paid to do is take a complex system or puzzle and make decisions in the face of uncertainty. I don't have the hubris to believe I understand the system - only God does. You never know which piece will be important. You study something and not until ten years later, a light bulb clicks. You think you have some insight that makes this a good decision.
I'm not paid by the hour. I take lots of people's savings and decide what to do depending on what their objectives are.

Michael and Norma Kimble at the Alumnus of the Year Dinner in March

Brother Martin High School didn't reenter his life for many years.

When Brother Jean Sobert and John Devlin visited him in New York during the Capital Campaign in the 1990s, Mike made a donation.
This started a period of increased contact with the Brothers.

But it was still just giving money, telling them I can't ever repay you.
Later, he and his wife Norma came down for the Extravaganza and offered their New Orleans home to out of town visitors for the Alumnus of the Year awards. They bought the house as their daughter Charlotte approached school age.
The family moved here, and Mike has commuted to New York during the week for a number of years now.

Five years ago, Brother Ivy LeBlanc asked Michael to serve on the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation Board.

He accepted the invitation extended to all board members to attend the Provincial Chapter in 2009.

That's how I came to understand more and more about the mission and charism of the Brothers. Contact with them has been wonderful. Within an hour after I returned from three days at the chapter, my wife said, "I don't know what happened there, but any time you want to go away with the Brothers, go ahead." She could sense I was different. I'm hoping to have more contact with them, not less.

During this time, Mike reflected on his senior year of high school.

With more exposure to the Brothers, I started to understand why I didn't get a Golden Crusader. I didn't deserve a Golden Crusader. It's not something you can work for; it's what you are.

As with high school calculus, which he didn't appreciate until he saw applications in college Economics, he realized he had missed the main point while he was in high school.

I always set goals. I would work on things for years - becoming an Eagle Scout, learning a language, earning college degrees. I steadily worked at it as my German father and Brother Martin had taught me.
When I graduated from business school, I was happy for a day or a week. Goals are wonderful. They're how I live. But it can't be what it's all about.
The school planted the seeds, like calculus. First, it's duty, but then comes a certain point where you get it.
Brother Ivy recently told me the story of Brother Jean going to the care facility. He didn't want to be there. But he told Brother Ivy, "I think I know why I'm here. God wants me to take care of these people. They need help." So he ministered to them and became a source of joy for them.
That's what it's all about. You can't feel that but in community. We're not meant to be alone, independent, isolated. When you can feel God's love, you feel different. Your life's different. I can't comprehend but a tiny bit of everything that happens.
The Brothers not only laid the groundwork for who I am and what I accomplished but planted seeds to have some conception of what God is, why we're here, how you come to peace.

Read the March 2011 New Orleans Magazine article on Michael.
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	CRIMSON SHIELD THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL
May 2013 Published Monthly September through May

‹‹ Front page Next article ›› 2013 Alumnus of the Year - II Michael Kimble ('81)started working at CitiCorp Investment bank after graduating from Columbia in three years. He tried to learn everything he could in order to get to the front office. After a year, he went to NYU at night for 2 1/2 years to earn an MBA in Finance with CitiCorp paying for it. A week later, he applied to law school at Fordham, where he could attend part-time at night. He completed the JD but has never practiced law. During this time, he became a credit analyst at CitiBank doing the unglamorous part of credit - risk analysis. He moved to E. F. Hutton because he became frustrated trying to make progress in CitiCorp's bureaucratic structure. Three months later, the Black Monday crash of 1987 occurred, causing large drops in stock prices around the globe. It turned out to be a blessing because it got the headhunters swarming since so many were let go. He got a job as a credit analyst in high-yield bonds at an insurance company. After a year learning another aspect of finance, he became a portfolio manager-analyst for high yield bonds at Chase Investors. That's where he met the man who would become his boss and partner today at MacKay Shields in New York, where Michael is a Manager Director and Senior Portfolio Manager for the Global Fixed Income Team. His group includes about 25 people. What I get paid to do is take a complex system or puzzle and make decisions in the face of uncertainty. I don't have the hubris to believe I understand the system - only God does. You never know which piece will be important. You study something and not until ten years later, a light bulb clicks. You think you have some insight that makes this a good decision. I'm not paid by the hour. I take lots of people's savings and decide what to do depending on what their objectives are. Michael and Norma Kimble at the Alumnus of the Year Dinner in March
Brother Martin High School didn't reenter his life for many years. When Brother Jean Sobert and John Devlin visited him in New York during the Capital Campaign in the 1990s, Mike made a donation. This started a period of increased contact with the Brothers. But it was still just giving money, telling them I can't ever repay you. Later, he and his wife Norma came down for the Extravaganza and offered their New Orleans home to out of town visitors for the Alumnus of the Year awards. They bought the house as their daughter Charlotte approached school age. The family moved here, and Mike has commuted to New York during the week for a number of years now. Five years ago, Brother Ivy LeBlanc asked Michael to serve on the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Foundation Board. He accepted the invitation extended to all board members to attend the Provincial Chapter in 2009. That's how I came to understand more and more about the mission and charism of the Brothers. Contact with them has been wonderful. Within an hour after I returned from three days at the chapter, my wife said, "I don't know what happened there, but any time you want to go away with the Brothers, go ahead." She could sense I was different. I'm hoping to have more contact with them, not less.	During this time, Mike reflected on his senior year of high school. With more exposure to the Brothers, I started to understand why I didn't get a Golden Crusader. I didn't deserve a Golden Crusader. It's not something you can work for; it's what you are. As with high school calculus, which he didn't appreciate until he saw applications in college Economics, he realized he had missed the main point while he was in high school. I always set goals. I would work on things for years - becoming an Eagle Scout, learning a language, earning college degrees. I steadily worked at it as my German father and Brother Martin had taught me. When I graduated from business school, I was happy for a day or a week. Goals are wonderful. They're how I live. But it can't be what it's all about. The school planted the seeds, like calculus. First, it's duty, but then comes a certain point where you get it. Brother Ivy recently told me the story of Brother Jean going to the care facility. He didn't want to be there. But he told Brother Ivy, "I think I know why I'm here. God wants me to take care of these people. They need help." So he ministered to them and became a source of joy for them. That's what it's all about. You can't feel that but in community. We're not meant to be alone, independent, isolated. When you can feel God's love, you feel different. Your life's different. I can't comprehend but a tiny bit of everything that happens. The Brothers not only laid the groundwork for who I am and what I accomplished but planted seeds to have some conception of what God is, why we're here, how you come to peace.
Read the March 2011 New Orleans Magazine article on Michael. Return to top \| Questions and Comments Welcome