Kevin Petterson ’18: Inspired by Friendship, Driven by Community

Max, a freshman at Emmanuel, was diagnosed just weeks into his first semester at the College. While Max underwent treatment, Kevin, who had decided to defer attending college until the spring, spent time by his side and grew close to many of the people Max had connected with on campus.

Witnessing his friend face such a challenge left a lasting impact on Kevin, and the way the Emmanuel community rallied around Max was foundational to Kevin’s appreciation of the College and its sense of community. “As second semester approached, there was no question where I’d go to school,” he said. “I’d fallen in love with Emmanuel.” He enrolled in the spring of 2015, embarking on one of the most gratifying and transformative experiences of his life.

Building Bridges Across Generations of Alumni

Now, as a member of the College’s Alumni Association Board, Kevin is motivated by that same spirit of friendship and community. His role on the board reflects his dedication to keeping Emmanuel’s Alumni community close-knit and engaged, and he is eager to create opportunities for Alumni to reconnect with the College and each other. Kevin’s goals for the board include expanding outreach efforts and strengthening the Emmanuel Alumni network, which he sees as a vital resource for both professional growth and personal connection.

He is particularly invested in creating initiatives that encourage mentorship between Alumni and students, hoping to inspire current students to see the lifelong benefits of the Emmanuel community. A big part of this work, Kevin noted, is finding ways to connect Alumni who may not live near Boston or who work remotely.

“We’re brainstorming how to engage people who don’t live close to Boston, especially since many people now work remotely and aren’t in the city regularly,” he explained. Kevin is also enthusiastic about fostering connections across different generations of Emmanuel Alumni. “Meeting Alumni from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s and hearing their stories has been inspiring,” he said.

Reflecting on his decision to attend Emmanuel, Kevin said, "When I was looking at schools, I realized I preferred the community feel of a small college. Emmanuel gave me that, plus Boston right at my fingertips. It’s a unique experience I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else.” This environment, he said, was crucial to his personal and professional growth. “I didn’t fully realize what I had back then, but looking back now, Emmanuel was one of the best decisions I’ve made.”

A Career in Fintech

Kevin’s career trajectory began during his time at Emmanuel with internships that solidified his interest in fintech and business development. As a senior, he interned at Boston Children's Hospital on the development team, where he supported major fundraising events like the Boston Marathon. That same year, he gained his first exposure to fintech through a summer internship at Flywire, a startup specializing in global payment solutions. “My internship at Flywire introduced me to fintech, which has ultimately led me to where I am today,” he explains.

After graduating, Kevin joined Toast, a fast-growing restaurant point-of-sale company, where he moved up from a business development role into management. “Toast was still a mid-sized company when I joined, but it grew fast, and that experience taught me a lot about managing teams and scaling processes,” Kevin said. 

His time at Toast prepared him for his next role at Building Engines, a company that provides building operations software for commercial real estate (CRE) portfolios. “We help support CRE companies in key areas, such as work order management, preventative maintenance, tenant experience, and vendor management” he explained. He was hired to manage the business development team before transitioning to an account management role. He’s currently tasked with up-selling and cross-selling new products and managing the overall relationship across a book of business, containing mid-market existing customers. 

Kevin attributes his career achievements to the foundation he built at Emmanuel, where experiential learning was central to his education. “The Career Center was a big help for me. I was a good student, but it was the hands-on learning through internships that really prepared me for life after college,” he said. “Those internships helped me build a network, gain practical skills, and ultimately find my place in the fintech world.”