“On behalf of the Foster Veterans Association, welcome to the 2026 Edward Hwang Annual Leadership Award dinner. This event marks the 10th year since Eddie’s passing and the 10th time we have come together to commemorate his legacy and celebrate his life and impact.”
At exactly 7 p.m. on May 7, 2026 (or 19:00 for those more familiar with military time), those words rang through the room as veterans, alumni, students, family members, and supporters gathered to honor Edward “Eddie” Hwang, a Foster School of Business MBA student, U.S. Marine, mentor, and co-founder of the Foster Veterans Association (FVA).
This year’s event carried special significance. It marked 13 years since the founding of the FVA, 10 years since Eddie’s passing in 2016, and the 10th Edward Hwang Annual Leadership Award (EHALA) dinner, a tradition dedicated to celebrating service, leadership, and community.
For those in attendance, the evening reflected the values Eddie helped instill into the Foster Veterans Association: service to others, mentorship, humility, and a lasting commitment to support veterans long after their military service ends.
Building something bigger than himself
The Foster Veterans Association was co-founded in 2013 by MBA students Eddie Hwang and Gene Ahn. At the time, the veteran community at Foster existed informally, but Eddie saw the potential for something more structured and lasting. He wanted to create a space where veterans could help one another navigate the transition into civilian life.
Eddie understood firsthand the challenges veterans face as they navigate higher education and professional transitions. As a Marine on active duty orders pursuing an MBA, he balanced an extraordinary level of responsibility with remarkable discipline.
But what stood out most to the people around him was how much he invested in others.
At Foster, Eddie served as a peer mentor, helped classmates refine resumes, guided a group of students to a veteran conference in Chicago, and volunteered with Junior Achievement to teach financial literacy to children. Friends and classmates remember that he found genuine joy in helping others succeed.
“Eddie was happy when a classmate landed the internship or job,” Ahn recalled. “He had a huge heart and is one of the most generous and selfless people I’ve ever met.”
Ahn shared that Eddie’s example still shapes the culture of the FVA today.
“I learned from Eddie that we have a responsibility to look beyond ourselves,” he said. “So I continue to ask myself, how can I live my life in a way that honors our friendship?”
More than a decade later, FVA members describe the organization as “a pipeline to anywhere” with alumni and students continuing to support one another academically, professionally, and personally.
Gene Ahn, co-founder of the Foster Veterans Association, speaking at the 2026 Edward Hwang Annual Leadership Award dinner.
A legacy that continues to grow
Since its founding, the Foster Veterans Association has grown into one of the nation’s strongest and most engaged veteran business school organizations. Over the years, FVA presidents have strengthened partnerships with corporations, expanded alumni engagement, and built connections with military affinity groups both locally and nationally.
Still, the organization’s mission has stayed consistent: veterans helping veterans.
Joshua Rodriguez, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve, Foster MBA alum (2017), and the fifth president of the FVA, experienced that support firsthand when he joined the organization.
Before classes even began, Rodriguez was paired with a sponsor who helped him navigate the transition into graduate school.
“I received a detailed email about what I should be focusing on in the next few months to get the most out of my experience, alongside all of the information I could need,” Rodriguez recalled.
That sense of connection has remained one of the defining characteristics of the FVA. Unlike many student organizations, involvement in the FVA does not end at graduation. Alumni continue to support current students in their career development and return year after year to strengthen the community Eddie helped build.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Foster Veterans Association in its current form is what Eddie intended,” Rodriguez said. “He started all of this. I think he would be proud to see veterans doing what we do best: supporting each other and coming back together to celebrate one another.”
From left to right: Foster Veterans Association members Shane Small, Nash Phillips, Gene Ahn, Gareth Farrell, Joshua Rodriguez, and Max Getler.
cREATING AN AWARD WORTHY OF EDDIE’S NAME
Rodriguez was also the person who helped ensure Eddie’s legacy would continue within the Foster community.
In 2016, Rodriguez had planned to meet with Eddie for advice as the incoming FVA president. Before that meeting could happen, Eddie passed away after a battle with cancer.
Rodriguez attended the funeral alongside classmates and alumni. What stayed with him most was hearing how deeply proud Eddie had been of the Foster Veterans Association and its mission.
“At the service, everyone talked about how passionate Eddie was about helping veterans transition back to civilian life,” Rodriguez said. “He really cared about everyone he met.”
Inspired by that legacy, Rodriguez founded the Edward Hwang Annual Leadership Award in 2017 with the guidance and support of Director of Alumni and Media Relations Andrew Krueger.
The award recognizes a veteran or veteran ally whose leadership and service reflect the example Eddie set throughout his life.
It also became an annual opportunity for the FVA community to reconnect, serving as both a celebration and a homecoming. Alumni return each year to honor recipients, reconnect with former classmates, and support current members.
“When someone receives this award,” Rodriguez said, “it’s like getting your jersey hung at the stadium.”
Recipients are carefully selected, with an emphasis on individuals who have made a meaningful impact in both the veteran and local communities. The first recipient in 2017 was retired four-star General Peter Chiarelli, setting the tone for the recognition’s prestige and purpose.
Over the past decade, the EHALA has become one of the defining traditions of the Foster Veterans Association.
Edward “Eddie” Hwang (second from left) and Gene Ahn (far right) with fellow classmates while attending the University of Washington.
HONORING SERVICE AND COMMUNITY
This year’s 10th-anniversary dinner reflected both the organization’s history and the strength of the community surrounding it today.
Although Eddie’s parents were unable to attend because they were in South Korea honoring his memory with family, they were recognized throughout the evening. Eddie’s widow, Anna, attended alongside alumni, past award recipients, current students, and supporters of the veteran community.
The evening’s theme centered on service and growth, values shared by many in the room.
Retired Command Sergeant Major Bryan O’Neal served as the evening’s guest speaker. O’Neal enlisted in 2003 and served more than two decades as an infantryman in the U.S. Army. During his remarks, O’Neal spoke about the responsibility veterans have to support one another after military service.
“We, the veterans who are already back in the community, that’s where we come in,” O’Neal said. “It’s up to us to reach out to veterans and help them if they feel lost and confused as they transition back to civilian life. The veteran community is a lifeline, and the FVA reminds us that our service hasn’t ended.”
The 2026 Edward Hwang Annual Leadership Award recipient was retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Aly Teeter, a longtime leader within the veteran community whose work spans civic engagement, journalism, and public advocacy.
Reflecting on what she had learned about Eddie throughout the evening, Teeter captured the deeper meaning of both the award and the organization.
“Eddie wasn’t just building a veterans club,” she said. “He was building better citizens.”
She concluded with words that resonated across the room: “The weight of this ceremony and award is not lost on anyone.”
Joely Manning, Foster MBA candidate, shaking hands with Bryan O’Neal, retired Command Sergeant Major and the honorary guest speaker at the 2026 EHALA dinner.
CARRYING THE TORCH FORWARD
Ten years after Eddie’s passing, the Foster Veterans Association continues carrying forward the vision he helped create.
What started as an effort to better support student veterans has grown into a lasting network of mentorship, professional connections, and community.
Looking around the room at this year’s anniversary dinner, it was impossible not to see the impact Eddie continues to have through the people gathered here. There were veterans mentoring students, alumni reconnecting with classmates, and a new generation carrying forward the same commitment to service.
A decade later, Eddie’s influence and legacy are actively lived out through the Foster Veterans Association and the people who continue to build on the foundation he helped create.
And perhaps that is the clearest measure of his impact.
This is exactly what Eddie wanted. It is exactly what he helped build.
Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and the 2026 EHALA recipient, Aly Teeter, posing with Foster School of Business Dean Frank Hodge.