Brian Boles

Former baseball scout Brian Boles has a knack for spotting potential — on the diamond, in the classroom, and in helping donors to connect with their passion. In his role at  the Center for Talented Youth, a division of Hopkins committed to identifying and developing the talents of advanced pre-university students, Brian has the opportunity each day to help continue to grow CTY’s reach and programming support.  

Brian holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Morgan State University and, fulfilling the hopes of his late mother, earned a Master of Arts in communications from Loyola University Maryland in 2017. 

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
I had the opportunity to work as a professional scout for the Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers. While scouting for the Tigers, I wanted to start a baseball camp for kids in Baltimore City. I was told by many that I couldn’t put on a baseball camp for a population of primarily Black kids in the city, but in 2011, I founded the Books and Baseball Summer Camp and impacted the lives of hundreds of young people during its run. 

How did you get into the development and alumni relations field?
My alma mater, Baltimore’s St. Frances Academy, was in danger of closing due to a lack of funds, and I was asked to lead development in 2014. I’m proud to say that the academy is now entering its 193rd year of existence. 

What do you like most about your job?
I love connecting with people and seeing how a relationship can grow from a coffee meeting into meaningful philanthropy. Although we wouldn’t consider alumni strangers, they can become disengaged. As a big “Hamilton” fan, I’m inspired by Alexander Hamilton’s line about how he made it to the United States thanks to “total strangers moved to kindness by my story.” A compelling story has great power to connect.