Two Sports + Two Degrees = One Driven Servant Leader

Brennan Quintas is driven. Driven to lead. Driven to succeed. Driven to grow. Driven to serve.

“I love to compete,” says Quintus (’08, ’09) who competed for the Marauders as a dual scholar-athlete in football and baseball. His competitive spirit propelled him into a prosperous profession. 

Quintus began his career in 2009 with Federated Insurance based in Minnesota. He then moved on to become the CEO of the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund. He earned a law degree from Purdue Global Law School in 2022.

In March 2024, Quintus became the CEO and President of Bravera Insurance in Bismarck. He oversees a staff of more than 60. Bravera Bank, Bravera Insurance and Bravera Wealth, are under the umbrella of Bravera Holdings Corp. and have offices in North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota. Quintus is married to Makenzie, ’08, and they have three children.

In his time at the University of Mary, the two sport scholar athlete from Dickinson, N.D., tight end and catcher, matured and experienced personal growth as he faced challenges on the football field, the baseball diamond and in the classroom.

“I think in the undergrad years you are in the phase of your life where you are still trying to get a feel for a lot of things. It’s kind of a transformational time in your life. I would say my undergrad experience was vastly different that my masters degree experience in that during my undergrad I lived on campus and ended up meeting lifelong friends and meeting my wife. I was also able to gain insight into myself through athletics.”

While on campus, the dignity of the Benedictine Sisters on the campus left a lasting impression on Quintus.

“Their demeanor and their humbleness and how they interacted with folks is probably what really struck me. The presence of the Sisters and just how they carried themselves; they weren’t there with their heads down and doing their own things, they were engaging with the students and that was impactful.”

Servant leadership embodied by the Sisters continues to surface in Quintus’s career. While attending a recent prayer breakfast in Bismarck, Quintus listened to Vern Dosch (1975,1990, 2012 Honorary Doctor of Leadership) quote the well-known phrase, ‘If service is below you, leadership is beyond you.’

“I had heard it many times before, but for some reason that day it really struck me,” Quintus said. “You get out in front, and you lead through example. If you’re having a tough time with something, you get in there, work through it, and help those folks you serve. Then they can prosper.”

Quintus has been fortunate to lead companies which reflect his values, allowing him to thrive.

“I think finding you know things that really align with what you believe in and what your values are as a person is incredibly powerful. (At Bravera) This is an organization that I can get behind. It’s the things that they support and the things that they believe in. Finding an opportunity to really learn and dive in but then also finding an organization that you can really align yourself with its values and just be all in. I've been lucky enough to find those organizations.”

In humility, Quintus uses the word “lucky” to describe his pursuit, but no doubt his driven nature and eye for engagement has proven instrumental to his success. The recipient of 40 under 40 in 2024 by Prairie Business Magazine must’ve picked up a thing or two from the Sisters.

Quintus is married to Makenzie (’08) and they have three children.