Nick Momyer came to the Foster School of Business for an MBA. The investment yielded more than a degree.
He expected to sharpen his skills in finance and accounting. What stayed with him were the people. “It’s the network, it’s the peers — the breadth of knowledge I was able to gain about things I didn’t even know I’d care about when I walked into the classroom,” he says. “That’s the feedback I’ve given others looking at the program.”
Years later, Momyer (MBA ’06) had another reason to connect with Foster. As a Senior Portfolio Manager & Northwest Regional Manager at Whittier Trust, he was looking for curious, ambitious students who might build their careers at the growing firm. Recruiting brought Whittier Trust and Foster together. A conversation about the school’s State of the Economy Forum opened the door a little wider.
Bears, bulls, and Huskies: The State of the Economy Forum
The Forum started as a breakfast conversation about the economy between Executive MBA students and two popular professors. It grew into a beloved annual gathering for MBA students and alumni from across programs and featured a panel of professors and professionals. Momyer was a regular attendee.
In 2020, COVID brought the original formula to a stop with mixed returns. The warmth and buzz of Dempsey Hall was exchanged for the sterility of a Zoom Webinar, but online access allowed the audience to expand 10-fold.
Then the pandemic was under control, and Momyer was excited to return to the Forum’s post-pandemic, in-person revival. “I remembered the authenticity of the event, the dialogue, the community,” says Momyer. “It hadn’t changed.” At the end of the night, he asked Foster staff how Whittier Trust could play a role in the future of the event.
The following year, Whittier Trust became the Forum’s Presenting Partner, providing access to a larger space on campus for those who attend in-person and a livestream for those outside the Seattle area. For Whittier Trust, the investment offers something beyond visibility; it’s an anchor for a partnership that reaches student organizations, the classroom, and the career center.
Members of the Foster School community networking prior to the start of the 2026 State of the Economy Forum. The event took place in the Husky Union Building on UW’s Seattle Campus
People-first investment policy
As the oldest multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast, Whittier Trust combines a deep history of trust and wealth management expertise to help clients navigate investments, philanthropy, and the complexities of family wealth and dynamics. The work calls for technical knowledge and the ability to connect with people facing consequential, sometimes deeply personal decisions. Momyer describes the combination as a balance of EQ and IQ.
“We look far beyond technical skillsets when we’re recruiting,” says Danielle Delmar, the firm’s Vice President of Human Resources. “We look for collaborative people who embody a growth mindset.” That philosophy shapes every interview.
Gabrielle Shull (BA ‘25) felt the difference during her own recruiting process. A Foster classmate’s enthusiasm for his Whittier Trust internship prompted her to apply; the conversations that followed made her want to stay. “They wanted to know about me as a person and see how I interacted with others,” Shull says.
Shull was offered a full-time position and joined Whittier Trust’s San Diego office after graduation. She took the role because she experienced work she wanted to pursue and, more importantly, the people whom she wanted to learn from and work alongside.
Representatives from Whittier Trust, including William Dodds (MBA Candidate 2027), second from left, and Gabrielle Shull (BA 2026), third from left, attending 2026 State of the Economy Forum.
Curiosity compounds at Whittier Trust
William Dodds was among Shull’s strongest influences. A Vice President and Client Advisor, he helps oversee the client advisory portion of Whittier Trust’s internship program. He values the breadth of interests Foster students bring beyond their coursework: everything from coding to performing as part of an amateur dance company.
At the encouragement of Whittier Trust leadership, Dodds enrolled in Foster’s Evening MBA Program — following a path Momyer had taken two decades earlier. “I had come into contact with the UW Foster community through the State of the Economy Forum, so I knew the caliber of people who were teaching and learning at the institution,” he says.
Like Momyer, Dodds found value beyond technical skills. Classmates brought perspectives from professions and backgrounds far removed from his own. Lessons in leadership and managing change became crucial as he took on direct reports and navigated new systems at work.
Building a legacy
At Whittier Trust, developing others is part of the job.
“Client service is number one, leadership and mentorship are number two,” Delmar says. “Everybody is responsible to lead and mentor.”
It is an expectation Momyer puts plainly: “If you’re going to succeed here, you must have a thirst for knowledge and training, for being better tomorrow than you are today. And not only for yourself, but everyone around you.”