Alumni Spotlight: Kevin Meaker

If Bryant & Stratton alumnus Kevin Meaker looks sort of familiar, there’s a good reason.

Twenty years ago the business administration student was featured in the school’s advertising campaign and his face adorned the side of a city bus in Syracuse.

You also might recognize him as a council member for the town of Clay, outside of Syracuse.

Or maybe you just know him as a former classmate who never misses his beloved Bobcats on the basketball court and is proud to say his life was changed by his time at Bryant & Stratton College.

“If it wasn’t for Bryant & Stratton College I don’t think I’d be doing what I do right now,” he said. “Bryant & Stratton College gave me that opportunity to be able to go to school in the evenings. The instructors were reasonable with deadlines and they understood I was a single dad working full time.”

“They gave me the opportunity to make something of myself. I don’t know if I would have done it without Bryant & Stratton College,” Meaker said.

Twenty years ago Meaker calls his story one that is very true for a lot of folks. He was a 24-ish, single guy, living life who unexpectedly and suddenly had full custody of his 9-month-old son. As a property manager at a midsize apartment complex near Syracuse, he didn’t have much time to spare in his days.

Meaker said Bryant & Stratton College helped make the most of the time he had.

The student loan process was made simple with the school’s help, he said and classes were held in the evenings when he could be available. And when life intervened, it was still okay.

“The instructors weren’t pushy. They understood if my son was sick I had to stay home. I was still able to earn a paycheck because of Bryant & Stratton College and graduate with honors,” he said. 

Meaker began his academic career in paralegal studies and soon switched to business administration, earning his associate’s degree. After graduation he opened his own real estate property management company which has continued to grow and prosper since. In 2017 he ran for public office in the town of Clay.

He said his political run was inspired by his desire to make a difference for “regular people.”

“I wanted people within our town to be able to go to local government and feel they were heard. I’m that regular person they can come to,” he said. “Being in the property management industry, I have dealt with owners worth $5 million and people who can’t afford their rent. I understand all walks of life and can really help people with what they need.”

Meaker is up for re-election next year and is considering whether to run again for the council seat or seek the next level of office. Serving locally was a stepping stone to learn the political process he said. Ultimately, he hopes to run for the New York state senate seat or the governor’s office. 

And that baby who was there every step of his dad’s way? He is now 20, and is a self-employed, successful barber. Meaker is hopeful he will choose Bryant & Stratton College for his educational journey too. Even so, the pair root on the Bobcats and Meaker dreams of the team becoming a Division I, II or III school.

Every day, whether as an alumnus in the stands, as a politician on the campaign trail, or a dad guiding his own son, Meaker said he will celebrate his experience with Bryant & Stratton College.

“It is always on my resume. I’m very proud of it,” he said.