UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rob Pyle, who earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in meteorology from Penn State, said he learned two things from a career in the field: Quality data is essential for accurate forecasting and some things are impossible to predict.
He earned his degrees in 1984 and 1986 and worked as a computer programmer analyzing climate data at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder before earning an MBA in finance there in 1993. From there, he pivoted to a career in wealth management. He worked for a couple years at a local financial planning firm before founding Diversified Asset Management Inc., in 1996 to provide personalized, comprehensive wealth management services to self-employed professionals and small business owners throughout the country. This month, he merged his firm into Mission Wealth, a national wealth management firm.
Pyle said his two career paths have many similarities. In both, there are no certainties, and assessing the odds is important. A weather forecaster who predicts it’s going to snow every day is never wrong when it does. But that’s not useful. It’s the same for financial markets.
Another similarity is the importance of technology and computing, which Pyle relies on heavily in both fields, he said. That’s why Pyle and his wife, Mary Ann Pyle, established the Pyle Innovations in Technology Fund in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.
The gift reflects Mary Ann’s background and passions as well. She earned her first job as a teacher in part due to her background in computers. She earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary education in 1987 and a master’s degree in special education in 1989, both from Tennessee Tech University, and guided her students through innovations in technology.
The Pyle fund provides essential, flexible support for technology and equipment needs in the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science, said Paul Markowski, head of the department.
“Whether it’s investing in new measurement platforms or supporting the deployment of cutting-edge technologies in the field, the Pyle fund helps us stay ahead of the curve,” Markowski said. “As advances in artificial intelligence open new possibilities for extracting insights from observations, the need for high-quality, high-resolution data is greater than ever.”
Pyle said he hopes that the fund will advance the program where he got his professional start. His first job in meteorology was a computer programming job at Penn State in the weather center. He turned down a job in Huntsville, Alabama, in favor of the mountains and whitecaps, and he never left. From there, his focus shifted towards climatology, something he equates to forecasting long-term markets. Forecasting changes on a climatic scale, he said, is a lot more certain than short-term weather forecasting. It’s the same for financial markets, which follow slow, gradual trends over time.
From there, he followed the advice of his father, who was an entrepreneur, he said, and charted his path to starting his own business. But he still maintains his ties to Penn State, whether it be a visit to a football game with friends or a night out with the strong continent of Penn State alumni in Colorado.
The family is committed to helping current students gain the footing that Penn State offered them.
“We loved all the exposure to technology that we had at Penn State,” Rob Pyle said. “We think that an investment in technology is what makes Penn State stand out, and it’s what makes our graduates stand out. That’s something we want to continue to be a part of.”
Donors like the Pyles advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.