Sometimes, life takes us places we never imagined—living, working and doing things beyond our expectations.
“Life has a funny way of rerouting us—what feels like a detour often turns out to be the destination,” said J.R. Kautz, a member of the Waynesburg University class of 2016.
Kautz graduated from Waynesburg as a business management major, with minors in finance, economics and marketing. After successfully balancing work and studies while commuting from his nearby small town of Marianna, Pennsylvania, Kautz reflects on his unexpected journey to where he is today.
“I never expected to end up at Waynesburg, as it was kind of a last-minute decision,” said Kautz.
During his last year of high school, Kautz’s father became ill with some ongoing health problems, and he decided it was the best for his family if he stayed close to home. Attending a college fair held on campus within a week of the submission deadline, he met Dr. Larry Stratton, Director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership. Kautz knew another student involved with the program and decided to apply to be a Stover Scholar; he was accepted into the program and blessed with an opportunity to be surrounded by some of the best and brightest at Waynesburg.
What began as a way to save on tuition and meet new people became the opportunity of a lifetime—learning from experts and networking with some of Washington, D.C.’s most influential leaders, thanks to Dr. Stratton’s connections and dedication.
Kautz says that having the chance to connect with Supreme Court justices, judges, attorney generals, economists, ambassadors, governors, senators and countless other esteemed individuals shaped who he is today.
“I found it extremely difficult to add value to conversations in these settings at first, since everyone around me was so important and had decades of experience in politics, economics and various studies,” said Kautz. He says that this taught him to adapt to any situation – being able to communicate with anyone and work to relate to what matters the most to them.
After graduating from Waynesburg, Kautz obtained his Certified Financial Planner designation (CFP®), and currently works at Baird, a private wealth management firm, where he works with individuals, families, businesses, athletes, and charitable organizations. Baird merged with Hefren-Tillotson in 2022, and Hefren-Tillotson is where J.R. started his financial planning career.
“I was in a class with Dr. [Christian] Ola, a business professor and mentor to me in my time at Waynesburg, and he brought in a newspaper article that talked about the average age of financial advisors and how a local company was looking for new talent,” said Kautz. “I emailed the CEO at the time, Kim Fleming, and she emailed me back the next day at 4 a.m. – which was typical for her and her diligent work schedule – and she said she would keep my resume in mind.”
About eight months later, Kautz was hired as a financial planner, aiming to work his way through the ranks. While he credits his success in that role to surrounding himself by kind, thoughtful and “wicked smart” people, he also emphasized the value of his education at Waynesburg.
Growing up, Kautz’s father was a mechanic and owned a hardware store. When Kautz wanted to help his dad work on a car or fix something at the house, his dad told him he worked with his hands because he “grew up poor and didn't have a choice,” and he taught Kautz the importance of going to school and learning how to do things through a proper education, as he never went to college himself. Kautz’s mom agreed and helped him hone in on school.
"There were definitely times where I felt like the underdog – never the smartest in the room, didn't have the best connections, no handouts – but it felt so gratifying to earn it and work hard to be in the position I’m in today,” said Kautz. As a member of the Hucko Group at Baird, Kautz helps manage over half a billion dollars and was recently named to the Forbes list as a best-in-state wealth management team in Pennsylvania.
“God is so good, and I am grateful to everything and everyone that has helped along the way – I wouldn't change a thing,” he said.
Kautz doesn’t like the term “self-made,” as he believes that in most cases, people learn from a mentor, higher education, or someone that came before them and struggled so they could succeed – and today he accredits a lot of his success to his family. Kautz is married to his wife Alexis and they have two beautiful daughters.
“My family is my world – and I use the word family very holistically,” said Kautz. “My wife, my kids, my parents, my sister, my friends, my Team, my Waynesburg family – all helped me get to where I am today.”
About the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership
Waynesburg University's Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership is an interdisciplinary scholarly center dedicated to bringing insights from the U.S. Constitution's Founding Era and from Christianity to bear in the contemporary public square, with the ultimate goal of creatively transforming the ethical state of the polis.
About the Business Management Program
Through this program you will earn a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and establish a strong background in marketing, management, finance, human resource management, accounting, leadership and business strategy.
About Waynesburg University
Consistently ranked a best value school, Waynesburg University’s Strategy for the 21st Century affirms its commitment to developing an entrepreneurial mindset and ethical leadership skills for all students. Rooted in its mission of faith, learning and service, the private, Christian university is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania.
