EPCE Learner Success Story: Bryan Pell

Bryan S. Pell 

Bachelor of science, nuclear engineering technology 
Master of business administration
 

Bryan S. Pell is an employee of Duke Energy and is currently on loan in a three-year position to the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) as a senior evaluator; this enables him to assist with evaluating different parts of nuclear programs world-wide in radiation protection and chemistry. He has worked with plants in the United States, China, Canada, and Argentina, benchmarking programs and helping identify best practices. “I build relationships with chemistry and radiation protection managers and help act as conduit to translate technical explanations into actionable plans for plants to adopt for optimal operation and safety,” he said.

He first earned his bachelor of nuclear engineering technology degree from Excelsior University’s online program in 2017 and decided to pursue further education by also earning his master of business administration (M.B.A.) through its online program, graduating in 2024. A veteran of the Army, he says one of the reasons he chose Excelsior was because of the significant tuition savings veterans receive, which is even larger than the EPCE-member tuition discount he received as an employee of Duke Energy, an EPCE Member. He noted, “My company, Duke Energy, provides $5,250 annually in tuition reimbursement, so I took as many courses per year as that budget allowed to complete both my bachelor’s and master degrees. I couldn’t have earned my degrees without the tuition reimbursement benefit offered.”

Although he can’t directly correlate completion of both degrees to his current role with INPO, “I believe the extra effort in pursuing education goals while working full-time played a role in opening the door to new opportunities, including my current position,” he said. He also said he encourages others to pursue additional education, noting, “The veteran’s tuition discount makes Excelsior University an attractive program, but the tuition reimbursement from my company is also a big reason why I chose to pursue additional education.”