FMA_Magazine_2018_2019

fma 

2018-2019 

MAGAZINE 

Celebrating 

5 Years of 

RESULTS 

FMA 2019 MAGAZINE 1

2 FMA 2019 MAGAZINE

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 

28 

36 

46 

52 

FMA’s Second 

Financial Summit 

Members, alumni, and guest executives came 

together for two days of education, networking 

and camaraderie. 

Case 

Competitions 

FMA students represented FMA in two case 

competitions this school year: Duff & Phelps’ 

YOUniversity Deal Challenge, and the CFA 

Institute Research Challenge. 

FMA Heads Back 

to Wall Street 

Members pack a lot into their visit, including 

some time with FMA grads now working in 

the Big Apple. 

Alumni 

Updates 

Moving up, moving on, and marrying – a lot 

has happened in five years. 

5 Director’s Message 

6 President’s Message 

7 Plans For Next Year 

8 Who Are We? 

10 What We’re Up To 

12 2018- 2019 Major 

Accomplishments 

20 A Look at Our Students 

28 FMA Financial Summit 

30 FMA Inclusion Forum 

36 Case Competitions 

38 Awards & Scholarships 

45 Supporter Spotlight 

46 FMA NYC Trip 

50 Where are We 

Going Now? 

52 Alumni Updates 



FROM THE 

FMA DESK 

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR 

As we send another class of graduates into the field and celebrate our fifth year, I find myself spending 

more time with FMA’s archived materials, especially those related to our first graduating Class of 

2015, and thinking about similarities and differences between that period and now. The truth is, I 

often get so focused on getting where we are going, that I don’t stop to absorb how far we have come. 

The inaugural class, like each of the four that followed, played an integral part in identifying strategic 

objectives, and then laying the building blocks to eventually achieve them. These are the milestones 

that we highlight in the pages of this Annual. All FMA alumni who purposefully participated in our 

growth should share in the celebration of what we’ve been able to accomplish in just 5 years. I reflect 

on the spring of this, our 5th year, as a point of peak training and proactive early education. The pace 

of programming intensified, highlighted by a new member curriculum that would be considered 

rigorous by any evaluating body. 

I often hear graduates, or even seniors express: “I wish I could go back and have that (additional 

training) experience of the younger FMA members.” Our first year students did not have a designated 

space; there were no alumni connections in top companies helping to prepare them. There was no 

new member program, no leadership training, no financial modeling course, no financial summit, 

and little available marketing. But today’s members nonetheless share some key characteristics with 

the classes that have graduated before them: a fearless commitment to learning, a deep-seated sense 

of intellectual curiosity, a determined push for self-improvement, and an impatience for results. 

The benefits reaped by each year’s members have been undeniably sewn by the deliberate and 

uncompromising efforts of those who have gone before them. 

This year, FMA will continue to push for excellence – we still have work to do on the integration of a 

solid financial leadership program that focuses on excellence in our five key areas: Industry Exposure, 

Alumni Engagement, Technical/Academic Training, Career Preparedness, and Branding. As part of 

this, FMA will continue to focus efforts on the establishment of a world-class investment, research, 

and student collaboration area for the benefit of all HCOB finance students. We will also be focused 

on extending FMA’s academic curriculum by adding practical application courses that are so critical 

to the success of students in our field. 

As I indicated above, emphasis on excellence and preparation is not new work for FMA - you see that 

clearly in the trajectory and stewardship of our most established alumni. After five years, however; 

this focus remains our most pressing and highest priority. Working to achieve a truly engaged and 

prepared graduate not only deepens our members’ educational experience, it also offers a model of 

pride for our alumni to deliberately stay involved and invested. 

Finance Rocks! 


MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 

PRESIDENT BAILEY SULLIVAN 

A Look 

at Year 5 

FMA made great strides in this, our fifth year. Through the hard 

work of the executive team, advisory board, alumni members, 

and faculty leadership, we exceeded our core goals for the year 

and helped to lay the foundation for continued growth. In review 

of FMA’s accomplishments this year, we are excited to announce 

the following results: 

1. 100% full time job placement for 20 seniors 

2. 100% internship placement for 24 juniors 

3. 80% sophomore and freshman finance related internships 

4. 21 sophomore and freshman leadership program participations 

5. Recorded an average starting compensation for 2019 

graduating class of $90,570 

6. Exceeded annual fundraising goal by 46%, raising $8,805 

7. Redesigned FMA’s website to include a more professional 

format and member resource portal; additional features 

include semester event listings, alumni network overview, and 

membership recruiting information 

8. Created an FMA branded career guide to be used as a planning 

resource for student coursework and internships 

9. Launched the inaugural executive mentor program and 

included 16 alumni to student matchings based on career 

interests 

10. Hosted the 2nd annual FMA Leadership Summit and 

expanded programming through small group sessions with 

industry executives 

11. Designed semester-long new member training program 

focused on career path exposure, recruiting process overviews, 

resume preparation and technical skill training with a capstone 

project 

12. Initiated the installation of FactSet on all FMA lab computers 

FMA 2018-2019 President Bailey Sullivan will graduate 

from the Honors College with a degree in Industrial 

& Systems Engineering and concentrations in finance 

and Spanish. Bailey joined FMA as a freshman 

and utilized the organization’s resources to seek out 

recruiting leadership programs early. She received 

program invitations from several firms including 

Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Moelis & 

Company. Bailey spent two summers in New York City 

interning for Wells Fargo Securities in their Financial 

Sponsors and Equity Capital Markets groups. Bailey 

has accepted a full time offer with Goldman Sachs in 

New York City as an investment banking analyst. 

From our 100% full-time job placement rate to the continual 

expansion of program offerings, FMA provides its members 

with premier opportunities that reflect the strength not only 

of our student members, but also of Auburn University as a 

whole. A big thank you to those who have invested in our first 

five years, and made this definable success possible. I look 

forward to joining the ranks of those alumni and supporters 

who continue to give back and ensure the continued success 

of this program. 

Best, 


INCOMING PRESIDENT 

JIM BREWSTER 

Plans for 

Next Year 

Thank you to our outgoing executive team for their personal 

investment and dedication toward advancing the FMA program. 

The incoming executive team will take the reins at a time of 

palpable momentum, represented by our focused dedication to 

practical application training and the positive impact it will have 

on our future. 2019-2020 initiatives are grounded in integration 

as we work to streamline a program of excellence that focuses 

inclusively on academic training, alumni involvement, and 

recruiting efforts. 

This upcoming year, FMA will target practical application 

training both inside and outside the classroom. This integration 

will involve partnering with Training the Street to create an 

FMA sponsored class and transitioning the Auburn Student 

Investment Fund to become fully aligned with FMA, creating an 

integrated financial leadership program. This focus on practical 

application and integration will provide students with relevant 

skills as they prepare to enter the workforce and represent FMA 

and Auburn University. 

The biggest resource that FMA has is its alumni base. We will 

remain committed to these relationships and plan to expand 

alumni events to include Dallas, New York City, and Atlanta. 

And finally, as our supply of top finance talent continues to 

increase, we will focus on expanding FMA’s recruiting reach and 

strengthening our current pipelines. We have a clear and proven 

message to communicate with firms looking to recruit top 

finance talent. 

As we celebrate our first five years, I look back – so grateful for 

this program and those that have contributed to its success. 

I now look forward to kicking off our next five years, seeing 

our planned initiatives come to fruition and most importantly 

witnessing the bottom line impact that it will continue to have 

on our members and university. 

FMA 2019 – 2020 President, Jim Brewster, joined 

FMA as a freshman and is currently pursuing 

a degree in Finance with a minor in Natural 

Resources Ecology. Through the mentorship 

and resources he found in FMA, Jim was able to 

complete four different internships across asset 

management, private equity, and investment 

banking. Jim will intern with Credit Suisse in their 

Houston Energy Group for Summer, 2019 


WHO ARE WE? 

We are Auburn students who pressed 

for an organization that could identify 

top talent and provide focused 

preparation for a career in finance. 

FMA Graduation Party 2019 

We are a growing base of involved alumni 

that continue to give back, both financially and as 

mentors and advisors from inside the corporate world. 


We are involved ambassadors that continuously push for resources and training. We 

are a morning mock interview, an afternoon happy hour and a late night in the Bloomberg room. 

FMA Graduation Party 2018 

We are a source of honest feedback, 

a study partner, a mentor. 

FMA Graduation Party 2017 

We are a group of dedicated students who want 

the best opportunities for ourselves and our fellow members. 



WE ARE FMA. 


5 Years of Practical Application 

Integrated Financial Leadership Program 

WHAT WE’RE 

UP TO... 

FMA FIRST YEAR COMPENSATION 

$74,000 

$65,000 

$57,000 

$93,600 

$90,570 

Training 

2 Training the Street Bootcamps 

Wall Street Prep Online courses 

LinkedIn Workshop 

Student Mentor Program 

New Member Training Program 

Team Building 

FMA Member Bowling Night 

New Member Social at AU Hotel 

FMA Christmas Party 

Annual Grad Party 

Senior Dinner 

Speakers from Industry 

• Regions Securities 

• Medical Properties 

Trust 

• STRH 

• Cantor Fitzgerald 

• MUFG 

• Drexel Hamilton 

• Morgan Stanley 

• Gibson Dunn 

• Goldman Sachs 

• Duff & Phelps 


• Sysco 

• Evercore 

• Accenture 

• Moelis 

• American Airlines 

• Lloyds Bank of 

London 

• Bright Investments 

• Deloitte IB 

• Pimco 

• Xerox 

• Cyxtera 


• Southwest Airlines 

• Girls Who Invest 

Integrated Financial 2015 Leadership 2016 Program2017 2018 2019 

$52,040 

2018 NACE 

Business 

Major 

Average 


Corporate Headquarter Visits 

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey | Atlanta, GA 

Delta Air Lines | Atlanta, GA 

Duff & Phelps | Atlanta, GA 

Cantor Fitzgerald | New York, NY 

Moelis |New York, NY 

Wall Street Journal | New York, NY 

FMA Meet & Greet – hosted 13 firms for a private 

career fair 

FMA Sponsored Programming 

Financial Leadership Summit 

• Panel speakers included Alan Bannister – 

Gibson Dunn, Bill Osbourne – Xerox, 

Heather Shemilt – Goldman Sachs 

• 4 Break out sessions with execs and students 

• Alumni and supporter luncheon and awards 

banquet 

• Private breakout session with bankers from 

Goldman Sachs 

• Evening networking social 

• Networking Tailgate 

Inclusion Forum 

• Seminar and discussion surrounding diversity 

and inclusion in the workplace from Janet 

Cowell, CEO of Girls Who Invest 

• Breakout session for FMA Women followed 

Other 

CFA Forecast Dinner | Birmingham, AL 

CSIC Conference | Tuscaloosa, AL 

Power lunches with executives from investment 

banking, corporate finance, and private wealth 

FMA Meet & Greet – hosted 13 firms for a private 

career fair. All finance majors with above a 3.5 GPA 

invited 

FMA Student Leadership Trip - NYC 

Members involved in 2 Case Competitions 


2018-2019 

MAJOR 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

New Website 

First Finance Career Guide 

Executive Mentor Program 

FactSet for FMA lab computers 

Expanded content of FMA Summit 

Structured and holistic mandatory new 

member training program 

Structured prioritized registration for 

FMA members to begin finance curriculum 

WEBSITE 

FMA remodeled its 

website to include a more 

professional format and 

member resource portal. 

WEBSITE FEATURES INCLUDE: 

FMA overview 

Executive committee headshots 

and biographies 

Semester events 

Alumni network overview 

Fundraising campaign link 

Membership and recruiting 

process 

Member resource portal 


2019 ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Program Overview 

16 new members were matched with 15 

alumni mentors based on the students’ 

industry/career interests 

Mentors and students participated 

in 2 phones calls and multiple email 

exchanges throughout the semester 

FMA student were required to send 

multiple feedback forms, call records 

and email drafts to the FMA president 

and advisor to ensure the proper 

utilization of the mentors’ time and 

resources 

Program Timeline 

February 

• Mentor & student introductions (e-mail) 

• Students schedule 1st intro call and send 

follow-up email 

March 

• Students send update email to mentors on 

recruiting/academic progress 

April 

• FMA president checks in with mentors 

• Students schedule 2nd call (mock interview) 

May 

• Mentors submit program feedback forms 

• Students send additional update emails 

MENTOR 

PROGRAM 

FMA extended its mentor 

program to connect 

students with alumni 

professionals 

CAREER GUIDE 

Networking 

LinkedIn is the greatest resource you have for networking into 

• Provides critical career path information 

to students in an accelerating internship 

recruiting environment 

competitive finance positions. In addition to finding alumni and other 

connections to reach out to, you can look at the path other professionals 

have taken to their current position. Since Auburn is a non-core school 

for many large financial institutions – this is especially true in Investment 

Banking, Sales & Trading, and Private Equity – you will have to reach 

out and network your way into many interviews. Although this sounds 

daunting, follow these steps and with time (and a little luck) you could 

land your dream job. 

Networking 

LinkedIn is the greatest resource you have for networking into competitive finance positions. In addition to 

finding alumni and other connections to reach ou to, you can look a the path other professionals have taken to their 

current position. Since Auburn is a non-core school for many large financial institutions – this is especially true in 

Investment Banking, Sales & Trading, and Private Equity – you will have to reach out and network your way into 

many interviews. Although this sounds daunting, follow these steps and with time (and a little luck) you could land 

your dream job. 

Set up Profile 

LinkedIn 

•Make sure to use a professional picture and keep information up to date 

•See the FMA website for advice 

• Focuses on year-specific guidance related 

to work done in and outside the classroom 

• Covers an encompassing range of topics 

including diversity programs, the business 

school application process / the GMAT, 

and the different organizations on campus 

available for finance-oriented students 

• Opportunity for Auburn FMA to give back 

to the university in a reusable, public, and 

targeted form of communication 

Build Connections 

Speak with Industry 

Professionals 

Informational Interviews 

The “Cold Email” Process 

Cold emailing simply refers to sending an email to someone 

without actually knowing them. Here are the steps (for this 

example we use IB): 

1. Identify firms you are interested in (Google “Top 

Investment Banks New York City” for help”) 

2. On LinkedIn, search “[Goldman Sachs] Analyst” 

and filter to New York. Also filter according to the 

tips on this page to improve your chances of getting 

a response. 

3. Once you have the name of someone, you will have 

to guess their email. The best way to do this is to 

Google [Goldman Sachs] email format. 

4. Email [firstname.lastname@gs.com] according to 

the cold email template below. (Also check Mergers 

and Inquisitions for more templates – this is just an 

example) 

He lo [John], 

•Connect with anyone you meet at networking events, other students, FMA 

Alumni, friends of parents, etc. The more connections you have, the better. 

•Once you identify an area of interest (IB, S&T, etc), use the Search function to 

find professionals that you can contact to hear abou their experience 

•Reach out (cold emails) and ask to speak abou their experience in finance 

•This is a great way to learn about what you are pursuing 

•Many phone calls will result in informational interviews which lead to real 

interviews 

“Cold Email” Example 

Finding Connections 

Often times, you will have the best luck 

reaching ou to someone who has some form of 

personal connection to your story. Here are 

some ways you can filter your LinkedIn search 

to narrow it down: 

Auburn (or SEC schools in general) 

Current City 

Previous Employer 

‣ Major (especially if you are 

engineering or a non-traditional 

major) 

Hometown / High School 

‣ Specific Industry focus (Ex. 

Industrials) 

Similar Interests (Ex. Triathlons) 

‣ Similar Ethnic Background 

My name is ___ and I am a junior studying ___ at Auburn University. I found you via LinkedIn and given [some sort of connection], I 

wanted to reach out. After ___ internship, I am confiden that I want to pursue Investment Banking, and I would enjoy hearing about 

your experience if you are wi ling to share. I understand if you have too much going on, and would appreciate even a short phone call. 

Best Regards, 

Your Name 

example) Background 

9 


2019 ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

NEW MEMBER 

CIRRICULUM 

Major Accomplishment: New Member Curriculum 

New Member Training and Development 

Career Path 

Exposure 

Ø Host career panel of senior members with internship experience in FMA’s core focus career 

paths: investment banking, asset management, elite corporate finance, private wealth, and 

S&T, equipping each student with equal technical preparation to pursue desired career path 

Recruiting 

Overview 

Ø Provide students with a NMDP binder, including FMA Career Magazine and finance 

recruiting guides. Topics for recruiting are based on a cycle: Positioning Yourself, Polishing 

Up, Understanding What You Want, Networking, Interview Preparation, and the Offer 

Resume and 

Behavioral 

Ø Host expert speaker in behavioral interviewing, standardize resume and cover letter 

formatting, and assign new members an older mentor who serves as a guide throughout 

recruiting and facilitates resume improvement and mock interviewers 

Technical 

Training 

Ø Cover a range of topics throughout 12 week training program, including accounting, cash 

flows, cost of capital, DCFs, comparables, precedent transactions, M&A, and LBOs in a 

flipped classroom environment, utilizing Wall Street Prep and in class discussions 

Capstone 

Project 

Ø Culminates into Capstone Project where students perform a discounted cash flow analysis 

of Tiffany’s Company, presenting their findings in a mock super day, which includes both 

technical and behavioral interview components 

14 FMA 2019 MAGAZINE 

[ 7 ]



Work Hard... 



Play Hard.


A LOOK AT OUR STUDENTS 

RUSSELL NOLETTO 

Russell Noletto, a senior 

from Mobile, Alabama 

and member of the 

AU Swimming Team, 

will join Regions in their Birmingham Debt 

Products Organization upon graduation. Russell 

shares: “I actually grew up an Alabama fan but fell 

in love with the Auburn team when I came on a 

recruiting trip. I felt that Auburn would help me 

reach my athletic goals and cultivate me as a person 

- that inclination has proven true.” Russell was 

introduced to finance when his mother, a 27 year 

Regions employee, took him to the New York Stock 

Exchange. “The environment was electric and the 

versatility of finance appealed to me.” To Russell, 

aspects of a finance career paralleled competitive 

swimming, where he had learned the value of hard 

work. He wanted a fast-paced career that would also 

award a strong work ethic. 

Joe Patching, an FMA alumnus and previous AU 

swim captain, introduced Russell to FMA. Patching 

showed Noletto the traits of a strong leader and the 

importance of balance. His senior year, Russ, like 

Patching, was granted the title of captain. He faced 

an entirely new coaching staff and a team struggling 

to adapt. Noletto knew he had to lead by example. 

He learned to persevere through setbacks and to 

trust the process – “hard work and dedication will 

eventually pay off,” he shares. 

Outside of school and swimming, Noletto enjoys 

U2, Pearl Jam, Seinfeld, travel, and attending 

concerts. He advises any new member to, “Take 

advantage of all opportunities presented to you, be 

enthusiastic about your classes, and get to know the 

people around you – one connection can be pivotal.” 

Noletto is looking forward to his career and plans 

to bring lessons learned in the pool with him to 

the work place. He lives by the motto Coach Gary 

Taylor ingrained in him, “enthusiasm to learn, 

eagerness to work, and desire to win.” 




Ty Lamar, FMA director 

of investment banking and 

vice president of ASIF, 

will be joining SunTrust Robinson Humphrey as 

an investment banking analyst in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Lamar “had been interested in investment banking 

since high school but initially never considered a 

finance degree at Auburn because “I felt it would be 

impossible to place at a strong firm.” Lamar instead 

decided on pre-med with the intent of being an 

orthopedic surgeon. He laughs, “Then I shadowed 

a doctor and learned I didn’t like broken bones.” 

After this realization, Ty pivoted to finance and 

began cold emailing every finance professional he 

could find between Auburn and Birmingham. These 

efforts put him in contact with John Bright, an FMA 

advisory board member and loyal supporter, who 

connected him with the organization. 

After joining FMA, Lamar was struck by the 

ambition of his peers. “Each student knew 

that the odds were against them in terms of 

recruiting, but that didn’t stop them.” Using that 

same determination, Ty networked with over 70 

professionals and dove into every available training 

and practical application opportunity, which 

ultimately helped him land his job with STRH. 

Ty’s long term goals include exploring opportunities 

in private equity, obtaining an MBA, and eventually 

starting his own investment firm. In his free time, 

Ty enjoys his membership in Phi Gamma Delta 

and his last few months of college freedom. When 

asked for a final piece of advice, Lamar shares: 

“It’s important to be competitive and get ahead 

to achieve finance internships, but don’t let this 

consume you. Enjoy your time in college and 

remember to keep perspective.” 

TY LAMAR 

22 FMA 2019 2017 MAGAZINE FMA 2017 MAGAZINE 22


HALEY 

MCDONNELL 

Haley McDonnell, a senior finance 

major, currently serves as FMA vice 

president of marketing and outreach. 

After graduating, McDonnell will join SunTrust Robinson 

Humphrey (STRH) as a portfolio management analyst in Atlanta. 

Haley switched her major from public relations after taking her first 

finance class and realizing that the quantitative nature of finance was 

a better fit for her. Haley also participated in the inaugural American 

Airlines Mentee Program and held several roles within ASIF – this year as 

the sector director of healthcare. 

As an Orange County, California native, Haley is often asked why she 

decided to attend Auburn. “I knew I wanted something different from 

home – a big school with a major sports environment. Ultimately, 

attending Auburn really pushed me out of my comfort zone, led me to 

finance, and truly allowed me to develop as an individual.” An example of 

this growth came during her 2018 summer internship with STRH where 

McDonnell learned the importance of corporate culture. “Environment is 

crucial for me in terms of producing my best work. Portfolio management 

is a mix of business writing, cyclical activities, deal experience, and 

quantitative analysis. You learn to manage your time, often spending 2 – 3 

weeks working intensely on a specific deal. I enjoyed the culture and was 

surrounded by kind, supportive coworkers.” 

McDonnell encourages younger members, “Choose wisely and invest 

in yourself early. It is easy to let opportunities slip past you in college 

and delay putting in work – investing in FMA exponentially changed 

what my future looks like. Take advantage of the opportunities and stay 

intrinsically motivated, not by money or location or prestige. At the end of 

the day, when you are putting in long hours on a deal, the only thing that 

matters is that you enjoy what you do and who you are doing it with.” 

Outside of FMA, Haley enjoys training for marathons, cooking, exploring 

national parks, and as she jokes, online shopping – both an interest and 

weakness. 



EMILY 

KRAVEC 

Emily Kravec, a senior 

finance major from 

Montgomery, Alabama, 

joined FMA her freshman year and is currently 

the vice president of external engagement. Emily 

remembers that first year: “At first, I was intimidated 

- worried I wouldn’t be able to live up to the standard 

older members and alumni had set.” After exploring 

optional paths within the industry, Emily decided 

to pursue corporate finance. She was offered an 

internship with Delta Air Lines her junior year 

and will return as a full-time financial analyst in 

their BBA Rotational Program. Kravec’s advice to 

anyone attempting to decide on a career path: “Test 

the waters of several alternatives, but look inward 

and evaluate what is best for you as an individual – 

never pick a career path simply because that’s what 

everyone else is doing.” 

Kravec is a true go-getter. She has six races under 

her belt, has traveled to three continents and runs 

an eBay shop where she resells her thrift store finds. 

When asked about her time at Auburn, Kravec 

responds, “At Auburn, I’ve always felt challenged 

yet never pushed beyond my limits. AU gave me 

opportunities to be very involved and form close 

relationships with my professors, something I will 

always be grateful for.” 


Emily’s favorite part about Delta mirrored her 

favorite component of FMA – mentorship. At Delta, 

she had the opportunity to reach out to countless 

senior employees and absorb the wisdom of 

management, which allowed her to explore available 

opportunities. Kravec advises new members, “Always 

send hand written thank you’s after interviews, 

utilize Wall Street Prep, and take advantage of the 

optional social events that FMA offers. Ultimately, 

finance is about connections with people. FMA 

equipped me to connect with older professionals and 

peers early on, and more importantly, it brought me 

some of my closest friends at Auburn.”


CALEB 

CARTER 

Caleb Carter, a junior 

studying finance, is the 

incoming director of investment banking recruiting 

and will be interning at Piper Jaffray in Charlotte, 

North Carolina this summer as an investment banking 

analyst. Caleb is from Hoover, Alabama and joined 

FMA during the spring of his sophomore year. “I 

didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted 

something challenging. Older members introduced me 

to investment banking, and then assisted in equipping 

me for such a career.” With Piper, Caleb sought a firm 

that maintained lean deal teams and would provide 

him with exposure to all stages of the M&A process. 

Caleb first became interested in mergers and 

acquisitions when his father’s company became the 

target of a hostile takeover. While this was occurring, 

Caleb began researching career paths within 

investment banking. “I realized that finance was much 

more than number crunching. You are protecting a 

company’s best interests and ultimately playing to 

win,” Caleb shares. 

Regarding FMA: “Tracy has put my life together more 

than anything else,” he jokes, “but in all seriousness, 

FMA has surrounded me with people that are smarter 

than I am and have challenged me to be better.” His 

advice to new members is threefold: take school and 

work seriously but never take yourself too seriously, 

build relationships, and make the most of your free 

time. 

In his free time, Caleb enjoys Alpha Tau Omega, pickup 

basketball, playing guitar, and Fantasy Football. 

“I’m like really, really good at Fantasy Football” he 

states as his humility shines through. After graduation, 

Caleb hopes to pursue a career in investment banking 

and would ultimately like to work in private equity. 



A.J. 

STANLEY 

A.J. Stanley, a junior at Auburn 

University, was interested in 

business from an 

early age as he watched his family’s construction business 

flourish. The example of hard work, set by his grandfather 

who established the business in 1961, and his father (also an 

Auburn grad) who today leads the business with his uncle, 

has been a driving force for this Huntsville, AL native. 

Stanley embraces the phrase ‘drinking from a fire hose’ - 

he notes “it’s an opportunity for you to take in everything 

around you and develop your skillset.” 

The summer after his freshman year, A.J. worked in the 

accounting and finance group of a large corporation, 

preparing filings for their quarterly earnings report. He was 

later able to listen in on the earnings call and hear references 

to the very materials he had prepared. “That’s when I truly 

realized the impact you can have even early on in your career. 

It inspired me to push myself further.” Stanley next accepted 

an internship with Regions Securities, and spent last summer 

in their transportation and logistics corporate banking 

group. He will complete his third consecutive internship this 

summer with EY in their Charlotte-based financial services 

advisory group. 

Stanley shares: “FMA opened up the world of finance to 

me and provided me with the tools and support network to 

launch into the finance industry. I took advantage early on 

of training materials such as Wall Street Prep, Bloomberg 

Market Concepts, Training the Street workshops, the NYC 

student trip, and Advanced Financial Modeling - the FMA 

targeted course taught by Dr. Albert Wang. Some of the most 

important tools FMA provides, however, aren’t technical 

in nature. The organization also gives students multiple 

opportunities to polish their soft skills. Being confident in 

yourself, building relationships, giving back, supporting 

peers, thinking and dreaming big—all of these are 

competencies needed to be successful at the highest level.” 



NATHAN 

STEIN 

Nathan Stein, a sophomore 

studying finance, is director of 

alumni relations for FMA and 

vice president of the Auburn 

Student Investment Fund. 

These roles make perfect sense for Nathan, who has 

spent dozens of hours networking with numerous 

professionals and firms. When asked his favorite part of 

FMA, Stein shares, “FMA plugged me into an investment 

banking career path and gave me a base of mentors that 

are consistently supporting my career prep efforts.” 

Finance runs in Stein’s family – his father worked in 

investment banking prior to starting his own private 

equity firm in Birmingham. Although he is now focused 

on an IB career, at a younger age Nathan thought his 

future would include a career as a Navy Seal – that was 

before learning he was ineligible for service due to his 

red green color deficiency. Stein jokes, “NASA really 

wanted me, but I chose finance instead.” 

Nathan has been an Auburn fan since he was young. 

Both of his parents are alumni and, growing up, he spent 

many Saturdays attending Auburn football games. The 

Birmingham native says he never considered applying 

elsewhere, fearing if he did, he “might be tempted to 

break the legacy.” 

Outside of academics, Nathan enjoys his fraternity - 

Phi Gamma Delta, lacrosse, traveling, and the Avett 

Brothers’ music. Stein’s advice to incoming FMA 

students is, “Put as much into FMA as you can. Get 

to know the older people,” and, as he jokes, “never let 

school get in the way of college.” 

This summer Stein is working with Founders Investment 

Bank in Birmingham with hopes of ultimately working at 

a boutique bank in New York. 


FMA Financial Summit 

FMA adds content to their second 

annual Leadership Summit. 

For the second year in a row, FMA alumni 

and supporters descended upon The Plains 

to attend FMA’s second annual Financial 

Leadership Summit – a two-day event that 

this year included add-on programming 

for students and participants. Activities 

included the semi-annual advisory board 

meeting, an alumni/supporter luncheon, 

an executive panel of distinguished 

industry leaders, several targeted industry 

information sessions, a career preparatory 

meeting with Goldman Sachs executives, 

an evening alumni networking event and a 

Saturday morning tailgate on the Lowder 

Hall Lawn. The expanded programming 

included increasing the number and 

content of break-out sessions and a private 

breakfast for the honored executive 

panelists. 

“One of my favorite parts of the weekend 

was again the support we received from 

our visiting alumni,” said Tracy Richard, 

finance instructor and FMA Director since 

its inception five years ago. “I see former 

members return to campus and continue 

to support this program and these 

students…it’s the core driver of FMA’s 

success.” 

The Summit kicked off on Friday with 

a private breakfast for the panelists and 

advisory board members. According to 

Tracy Richard, “This was a great way for 

the panelists to get to know each other 

prior to the day’s events. They were also 

able to meet our advisory board members, 

and learn more about our mission and the 

efforts we’re taking to prepare top-notch 

graduates for elite positions.” 

This year, in addition to the main panel, 

FMA welcomed other prominent industry 

executives, each of whom led a small group 

info session. Cysco, Evercore, Goldman 

Sachs and Lloyd’s Banking Group were all 

represented. 

The auditorium was at capacity for this 

year’s prominent industry executives: Alan 

Bannister, Partner at Gibson Dunn, Bill 

Osbourn, Chief Financial Officer of Xerox, 

and Heather Shemilt, Partner at Goldman 

Sachs. Fan favorite, Steven Aldridge, 

Managing Director at Cantor Fitzgerald, 

switched roles from panelist to moderator. 

Lauren Spiwak, a senior FMA member 

from Houston, who will be joining Bank of 

America upon graduation as an investment 

banking analyst, commented on the caliber 

of the panelists: “It’s an extraordinary 

opportunity to learn from some of the best 

in the field. To be able to hear their stories, 

career paths, advice and some unfiltered 

feedback – it was inspiring.” 

“The Summit provides a core target area of 

training. Students are exposed to leading 

industry executives. The panelists provide 

insight on various career paths and send 

the message to students that they too can 

have a successful and exciting career in 

finance.” Bailey Sullivan, FMA President, 

said. As Heather Shemilt will attest, “All it 

takes is GRIT.” 


5 YEARS OF PROGRAMMING 


FMA Inclusion Forum 

In March, FMA hosted Janet Cowell, CEO of 

Girls Who Invest to speak at the Second Annual 

FMA Inclusion and Diversity Forum. Janet has 

always been passionate about serving others. 

Prior to joining Girls Who Invest (GWI), she 

held publicly elected offices in North Carolina 

for fifteen years and was the first woman elected 

State Treasurer, managing over $100 billion in 

assets and health and retirement benefits for 

more than 900,000 members. During her eight 

years as Treasurer, Janet maintained North 

Carolina’s AAA bond rating from all three rating 

agencies – one of only ten states to do so – 

growing pension assets from $60 to $90 billion 

and achieving an eight-year return of over 7.5%. 

A longtime advocate for the power of education, 

Janet also chairs the Executive Education Board 

of the Wharton School of Business. 

GWI is a non-profit organization that was 

founded in 2015. The organization is dedicated 

to increasing the number of women in portfolio 

management and executive leadership in the 

asset management industry and it was clear Ms. 

Cowell brought her knowledge and passion for 

GWI’s mission to The Plains. Janet’s agenda 

included a breakfast with student leaders and 

campus tour, followed by two classroom visits 

where she spoke about her time in public finance 

and some of her accomplishments and challenges 

that came with being a state treasurer. Janet 

also spent time with Dean Ranft, where the two 

leaders discussed strategic pathways for getting 

more women into this lucrative and rewarding 

field. 

The co-ed forum, held later that afternoon, 

focused on raising awareness of cultural issues 

and biases and also on the opportunities that are 

available in asset management. 

Afterward, FMA women attended a closed-door 

power hour, allowing them to openly engage with 

Cowell about the future of the industry and their 

role in it. 


5 YEARS OF PROGRAMMING 

Jenny Herrell, an FMA junior who participated 

in the GWI program last summer, shares her 

thoughts: “Financial institutions have a duty 

to maintain teams of investors that best reflect 

the diverse backgrounds of the pools of clients 

they serve, and in turn, studies show diverse 

teams yield higher returns and have better team 

dynamics. FMA believes in this cause and pushes 

women and minorities to lean in – to fight for 

their own careers and allow their voices to be 

heard.” 

In fact, women are often FMA’s highest 

performers – three of their five presidents have 

been women. National studies show investors are 

78% male and 87% white, yet FMA is composed 

of over 40% women, who enter into their 

careers with equitable salary, expectations, and 

endeavors for their future. 

FMA director, Tracy Richard explains, “It’s 

candid events like these that truly change 

students’ perceptions and attitudes and 

encourage those of diverse backgrounds to lean 

in with conviction.” 


5 YEAR PREMIUM TO PAR 


Leadership Program 

PARTICIPATIONS 

FMA strives to identify diverse and under-represented 

students and prepare them for application to national 

financial leadership programs. In 2018 – 2019 alone, 

FMA students placed in over 20 such programs. 

The mentorship and early identification that FMA 

provides rendered student acceptances into elite 

programs, including those of Citibank, Goldman 

Sachs, Seizing Every Opportunity, Perella Weinberg, 

Girls Who Invest, and Evercore, – to name a few. 

According to AJ Stanley, “Diversity programs allow 

women and minority students who attend ‘nontarget’ 

schools (which include both predominately 

white institutions such as Auburn University, and 

Historically Black Colleges and Universities) to create 

inroads with a firm, catalyzing the formation of a 

professional network and unlocking access to the 

highly-competitive recruiting process.” 

Financial institutions have a duty to maintain teams 

of investors that best reflect the diverse backgrounds 

of the clients they serve, and in turn, studies show 

diverse teams yield higher returns and have better 

team dynamics. 

Michael Parker, who has attended several leadership 

conferences, shares, “Being a minority, it has been 

crucial to my personal growth to be surrounded by 

such a diverse group and be able to witness individual 

successes. To see people of color and women pursue 

and succeed in their careers provides me with hope 

and makes me optimistic about this industry’s future. 

I firmly believe that individuals become the product 

of the groups they associate with, and there’s nothing 

better than being a part of such a diverse and high 

achieving organization.” 

FMA believes in this cause and pushes women and 

minorities to lean in – to engage early and allow their 

voices to be heard. 


GIRLS WHO INVEST 

This year, FMA celebrated its second 

student acceptance into the prestigious 

Girls Who Invest (“GWI”) Summer 

Intensive Program. GWI seeks to address 

the gender imbalance in the maledominated 

asset management sector by 

equipping women with the necessary 

technical and behavioral skills to succeed 

in a career in investing. This 10-week 

program entails four weeks of classroom 

experience at elite financial research 

institutions Wharton and Notre Dame 

followed by a six-week internship with 

a leading asset manager. The training 

portion of the program culminates into a 

capstone project, where women have the 

opportunity to consult with a Fortune 

500 company’s investor relations team 

and formulate a pitch to a committee of 

investors. 

Jenny Herrell, GWI Class of 2018, was 

the first SEC state university student 

to receive admission into Girls Who 

Invest. After learning about GWI, Tracy 

Richard, FMA’s director, immediately 

reached out to Jenny, suggesting she 

apply. Jenny worked tirelessly over her 

application as they both realized the 

career opportunities that this program 

presented. “After Jenny’s admittance, 

our first aim was to prepare her as 

much as possible for this opportunity – 

ensuring she best represented the Auburn 

FMA program. Older members helped, 

spending countless hours developing 

Jenny’s technical and modeling skills to 

ensure she would be prepared for the rigor 

of GWI,” Richard explains. 

Throughout the summer, Jenny 

continuously emailed Tracy with ideas 

for programing and training, providing 

a framework for this year’s new member 

Jenny Herrell (right) helped prepare Emily Mills (left) for the elite GWI program. 

curriculum. GWI’s training ultimately 

prepared Jenny for internship recruiting 

and culminated in an offer from Point72, 

where she will begin this June as a hedge 

fund summer analyst. 

Tracy explains “FMA’s accomplishments 

and prestige are built on student drive and 

ownership – Jenny is a solid testament 

to this dedication and stewardship. 

When she returned to campus, our goal 

was simple: rally behind a candidate 

and aim to place a second woman into 

GWI.” The two could think of no better 

candidate than Emily Mills, current FMA 

sophomore and Auburn Track & Field 

athlete. Jenny states, “Emily is equally 

dedicated to her career and personal 

development, and we anticipate great 

things to follow her admission to this 

program.” 

GWI’s goal is simple: Build a pipeline 

of female asset managers so that 30 

percent of global investable capital 

is managed by women by 2030. FMA 

shares in this vision. Herrell contends, 

“We believe financial literacy offers 

women and minorities the opportunity 

to hold power over their future, pursue 

a career with influence, and ultimately 

better their communities and bring 

about change in both political and social 

spheres. Financial literacy provides 

the opportunity to control your own 

wealth, and wealth implies power, which 

ultimately garners influence.” 


LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS 

FMA women believe in assisting one another 

and lending a helping hand to see junior female 

members succeed – a sentiment clearly seen in 

the advancement of Jenny and Emily but a culture 

that began long before their membership. FMA’s 

mentorship and early identification has led to the 

development of countless female leaders, including 

President Caroline Clothiaux, who entered into 

corporate finance at Delta in 2016 and championed 

for the employment of additional FMA members. 

This legacy continued with President Krista Alexon, 

currently an associate at Silicon Valley Bank, who 

also remains strongly connected to the organization. 

Current president Bailey Sullivan will join Goldman 

Sachs in New York upon graduation, and Kate Bagley, 

Auburn Student Investment Fund president will join 

Exxon, adding to the list of impressive leaders. 

There are many strong women associated with FMA 

that continue to pour into this program. Without 

their dedication and hard work, the organization 

would not have reached the feats they boast today. 

Ownership, drive, and stewardship are the qualities 

ingrained in these young leaders and have been 

an integral focus since the program’s inception. 

Members believe in the organization’s mission to 

increase diversity in the financial services industry, 

for they have witnessed firsthand the successes that 

stem from the mentorship and encouragement that 

occurs within the walls of FMA. 

Leadership Program Highlights 

• FMA Identified opportunity with one of the most prestigious 

diversity programs in the country 

• FMA worked with target student to prepare application and 

recommendation packet 

• Student was selected – GWI provided 6 weeks of academic 

training at Penn then placed her with Prudential Global 

Investment Management for summer internship 

• This experience made her highly prepared for recruiting 

cycle: student will be joining Point72 this summer in academy 

program which has ~0.3% acceptance rate. 

• First student worked to identify and prepare subsequent 

nominee, who was selected and will start GWI Summer ’19 

• Also re-established relationship with FMA ‘15 alum who 

worked to place FMA intern at PGIM, NYC this summer 


Case Competitions 


FMA students represented FMA in two case competitions 

this school year: Duff & Phelps’ YOUniversity Deal 

Challenge, and the CFA Institute Research Challenge. 

The Duff & Phelps group, which placed 4th nationally this year, 

was led by Jimmy Brewster and included FMA members Jenny 

Herrell, Price Delk and Bailey Sullivan. The team forecast future 

financial statements of a regional sports network (“RSN”), 

performed a discounted cash flow and comparable analysis to 

derive a stand-alone fair market value, analyzed the landscape 

of RSN through Porter’s Five Forces, and identified risks and 

growth drivers of the sports network industry. 

Their work culminated in a seven-page report and accompanying 

model, which they submitted to a team of industry experts for 

review. As a result of their work, the team placed fourth in the 

nation. 

“This case competition provided me with the opportunity to 

actively engage with a mock M&A transaction and allowed a 

hands-on opportunity to develop financial skills. The experience 

confirmed my desire to work in M&A and helped to prepare me 

for my summer internship in investment banking,” shares Price. 

Edward Neyman, Michael Byron, Canon Kuipers, and Caleb 

Carter were led by Kate Bagley in the CFA case competition. 

Participants took second place at the regionals in the CFA 

Institute Research Challenge, a global equity research 

competition, where they used extensive qualitative research 

and quantitative valuation techniques to make a buy 

recommendation on an assigned equity. 

The event included 15 teams representing universities across 

the Southeast and took place at Kennesaw State University 

in Georgia, where they made a formal presentation. Students 

worked on the project from October to February. 

The team’s final report consisted of a 10-page in-depth analysis 

of the stock and 20 pages of appendix figures supporting the 

team’s recommendation placed on the equity. 

“Considering this is only the second time Auburn participated 

in such a large-scale competition and the fact that we are able 

to beat other regional schools such as Emory, Georgia, Georgia 

Tech, and Georgia State, I’m so proud of our students,” said 

Albert Wang, associate professor in finance at Harbert College, 

who also serves as the team’s faculty advisor. 

Case competitions provide FMA students with practical, handson 

application and industry exposure, and students continue 

to proudly represent our program at regional and national 

competitions. 


UNIVERSITY AND 

NATIONAL AWARDS 

Auburn University FMA Honor Society Presented with 

Superior Chapter Award for the Second Year in a Row. 

SUPERIOR CHAPTER • NATIONAL FACULTY ADVISOR OF THE YEAR 

BEST IN PRACTICAL APPLICATION • NATIONAL EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR 


5 YEARS OF EARNINGS 

For the second year in a row, FMA was named Superior 

Chapter by the FMA national organization. Also, at 

the University level, FMA received the Excellence 

in Practical Application Award at this year’s AU 

Involvement Ceremony. 

A prime example of our emphasis on practical 

application and career readiness can be seen in FMA’s 

new member development program. This year, we 

expanded our curriculum to include a rigorous twelveweek 

intensive training program designed to prepare 

students for elite careers in finance. 

This comprehensive academic preparation entailed 

over 40 hours of intensive training including: 

• 300-page guide with a weekly schedule and 

syllabus 

• Wall Street Prep Video Curriculum with 

accompanying PowerPoint deck 

• Technical Finance Question Guide 

• Behavioral Question Guide 

• Weekly homework 

• Networking assignments 

• Internal mentors 

• Professional development seminars 

• Weekly meetings to cover technical and 

behavioral topics 

• Capstone mock technical interview and 

discounted cash flow analysis project 

These honors recognize our accomplishments as an elite 

financial preparation program that combines education, 

career preparation, industry intellectual capital, alumni 

engagement, and information resources to produce the 

best trained and prepared students for finance careers. 

These training efforts resulted in an average starting 

compensation of $90,570 for our 2019 graduates. 


AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS 

Senior in finance presented 

with same student award 

mother won 31 years ago 

BY JOE MCADORY 

Kate Bagley, a senior in finance, is the SGA 

Outstanding Student of the Year for the Harbert 

College of Business. This award is a family tradition 

– her mother, Betsy Osterling Bagley (’88, marketing) 

won the same award 31 years ago. 

“My mother has always been my biggest role model,” 

said Kate, a Houston, Texas, native, who has served 

as Auburn Student Investment Fund President since 

2017. “Oddly enough, I never set out to follow the 

same path as her and even had no idea she won the 

same award until after I was notified I got it. We 

are incredibly similar people, and if I had to choose 

someone to be like, I am so glad it is she. 

“She is my go-to person and a constant inspiration 

to me. Since I was young, she has always emphasized 

through her words and actions the importance 

of gratitude, hard work, putting others first, 

relationships, and most of all: grit. My parents 

always said to me, “Do your best, forget the rest” 

which I think is the best advice in every aspect of 

life and really reinforced the imperative quality of 

perseverance.” 

As Vice President for Internal Affairs of Auburn’s 

prestigious Financial Management Association Honor 

Society with a 3.81 GPA, Kate has already enjoyed 

internships at ExxonMobil, Morgan Stanley and Wells 

Fargo. After graduation in May, she will begin fulltime 

work as a controller’s analyst at ExxonMobil. 

“I am so delighted to see Kate recognized for all 

her commitment and contributions,” she said. “I’m 

incredibly grateful to the Harbert College of Business 

for the opportunities it has provided for actionable 

learning and leadership development. It is a double 

honor to share this same award that I received as 

a student with her. Who knew when she came to 

Auburn to chart her own unique path that is it would 

culminate in a similar place?” 

Kate Bagley said involvement in organizational 

activities at Auburn allowed her to develop leadership 

skills, build lifelong relationships and “be challenged 

every single day.” 

Betsy Bagley (right, with former Harbert College 

marketing professor Ford Laumer) is Vice 

President for consulting services at Catalyst, Inc., 

a global nonprofit organization. 

“It has been amazing to see not 

only the transformation of Auburn 

Student Investment Fund over 

the past two years as we began 

the actual trading and portfolio 

management, but also each and 

every student that has been a part 

of the organization,” she said. “It 

has been a learning experience 

for all of us, and I would not be 

able to do any of this without each 

member of the ASIF. As I often 

say to younger students, you win 

some, you lose some, and it goes 

without saying that that holds 

true. I have absolutely experienced 

my share of failure, but it has 

always been about getting back up 

and working even harder. 

“The Harbert College of Business has been instrumental in my personal 

and professional development and in obtaining my dream job with 

ExxonMobil. Throughout my four years, (FMA Director) Tracy Richard 

has pushed me to be my best and without her, there is no way I would have 

had the opportunities that I have had. She saw potential in me back in my 

freshman year that I would have never recognized by myself and I could not 

be more grateful to her and to the College of Business for supporting and 

encouraging me throughout my time at Auburn.” 



WOMEN OF DISTINCTION 

FMA’s women claim top faculty 

and undergrad awards at 

Leadership Conference. 

Auburn FMA board member Amy Murphy and Bailey Sullivan, 

outgoing president of the Auburn Financial Management 

Association, were named Women of Distinction on April 15, 

at the annual Women’s Leadership Conference, presented by 

Auburn University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Murphy 

took the award for Outstanding Faculty Member and Sullivan 

was named Outstanding Undergraduate. 

Murphy, who recently retired as Director of Graduate Programs 

within Harbert College’s School of Accountancy, has enjoyed 

a career decorated with teaching and professional awards. Her 

passion for educating students was recognized by peers in 

2017 when Murphy was presented with the Alabama Society 

of CPAs Outstanding Accounting Educator and Beta Alpha Psi 

Outstanding Teacher awards. She joined the initial advisory 

board for FMA and has been instrumental in getting the 

organization the support it needs. “When Amy believes in 

something, she doesn’t stop until she gets it. Her support for 

our organization has been definably critical” says FMA director, 

Tracy Richard. 

“To be recognized during the last part of my career – not 

only by my students but also at state level – what a great way 

to end your career!” said Murphy, who was named Master of 

Accountancy Program Director at Auburn in 1994. 

Sullivan, an industrial and systems engineering major with a 

minor in finance, is also the recipient of the Auburn Presidential 

Scholarship, Plainsman Prestigious McWane Foundation 

Scholarship, and J.W. Samford Foundation Scholarship. 

An incoming investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs, 

Sullivan’s time at Auburn was busy. The Tampa, Florida native 

participated in several leadership programs and interned two 

summers at Wells Fargo Securities in New York City In addition 

to serving as FMA president, she also held roles as director of 

fundraising for the Auburn University Dance Marathon, vice 

president of operations for the War Eagle Girls and Plainsmen 

and was an executive committee member for the SGA Student 

Senate. 

Sullivan credited her experience with the FMA for “challenging 

me to reach my full potential as a young professional.” 

“Through my relationship with our advisor, Tracy Richard, and 

other FMA members, I have learned the importance of hard 

work, in addition to the skills necessary for success in my future 

career,” she said. 



TOBY SNOOK 

Toby Snook, a rising senior, was 

on the first-place team two years 

in a row for the Sabre Internship 

Competition. 

Over eight weeks, intern teams were tasked with product 

development and production of a supporting business case. Case 

categories assigned to the different teams were an experiential 

travel solution, influencers, ID app, or a vacation rental schedule 

optimizer. In the first round, the groups had to defend their 

business case to a panel of judges with four teams progressing 

to the final round. The top four teams then presented to a panel 

of executive judges in front of the entire company. Teams had 

to support their pitch as a solid investment for Sabre, and then 

field questions from the judges. Toby shares, “Sabre takes the 

presentations quite seriously and often funds the product for 

prototype if it’s good enough. I was informed that my winning 

presentation from last summer is currently being funded for 

initial development.” 

Scholarship 42 FMA recipients 2019 MAGAZINE (left to right): Angel Snider, Emily Mills, Jackson Weidler, Josh Horton.


At six feet, eight inches, FMA 

member Thomas Collier is 

a commanding presence at 

networking events. 

The senior from Birmingham has been playing 

basketball for as long as he can remember and 

through determination and hard work, earned a spot 

on the Auburn men’s basketball team in 2017 as a 

sophomore. Timing couldn’t have worked out better 

for Collier, who was part of the effort to drive the 

Tigers all the way to the Final Four this year. How 

does he handle the multiple commitments of school, 

fraternity and basketball? “Having so many demands 

forced me be to be efficient and effective with my free 

time. I’ve gotten pretty good at juggling tasks and 

now tend to perform my best when I have a lot on 

my plate.” Thomas advises younger students: “Start 

early with networking but don’t stress yourself out. 

It’s important to use the resources that FMA and 

their alumni provide. I’ve seen firsthand the benefit 

of using your networking circle. These are the people 

that want to fight for you. It’s a game changer.” Collier 

will intern with STRH in Atlanta this summer as a 

healthcare summer analyst. 

THOMAS 

COLLIER 



Tim Monte received the FMA 

National Executive of the Year 

Award out of hundreds of chapters for his 

outstanding contributions to the Auburn FMA 

program. Since the program’s founding, Tim has 

placed students with internships and full-time roles 

throughout Regions’ various divisions, advocating 

for Auburn students and serving on the program’s 

advisory board. 

He presently works as an Executive Vice President 

& Executive Managing Director at Regions Bank, 

leading their Credit Products group. Prior to joining 

the Credit Products, Tim served as co-head of the 

Capital Markets Corporate & Leveraged Finance 

(CLF) group, and Senior Originator in Debt Capital 

Markets. Before joining Regions, Tim worked in 

syndicated and leveraged finance at Bank of America 

Merrill Lynch. 

Recently, FMA sat down with Monte to discuss his 

background and recognize his accomplishments. 

Your passion for Auburn is obvious. How did you get to be 

such a big fan? 

“Although I was born and raised in Florida, I have 

been an Auburn fan since I was born. My father 

grew up in Birmingham and attended Auburn 

University. He graduated with an engineering 

degree, and settled in central Florida to begin his 

career with Lockheed Martin. As a child, I was 

always an Auburn Tiger fan and it was where I 

hoped to go to college. I ultimately decided to 

stay in Florida and attend Flagler College, but 

the Auburn fan in me has remained strong and 

extremely loyal. Five years ago, I was asked to 

serve as captain for Regions’ Corporate Bank 

campus recruitment at Auburn. I was excited 

work with FMA and connect Auburn students 

with career opportunities at Regions through our 

analyst and internship programs. In the past five 

years, Auburn FMA students have been placed in 

13 internships and nine full time positions. The 

partnership between Auburn and Regions has been, 

and will continue to be strong.” 

In addition to your other roles, you are now Head of the 

Charlotte Market. How do you find time to impressively 

manage all of these commitments? 

My primary role at Regions is Head of Credit 

Products, and in May, I was also named Charlotte 

Market Executive. As Charlotte Market Executive, 

I serve as Regions’ primary representative to the 

clients and communities we serve in and around 

TIM MONTE 

Charlotte. Each role requires significant 

focus, effort and time, which is the most 

precious commodity in the world. I am 

fortunate to work with outstanding associates 

in both Credit Products and in the Charlotte 

Market who are driven, innovative and 

committed to doing more. At Regions, teams 

from all lines of business come together each 

day to meet the needs of our clients through a 

collaborative approach. By doing this, we can 

leverage the strengths and experience of our 

collective team and, in turn, bring our best to 

each client we serve and to the communities 

where we work. 

Thank you, Tim – FMA is a better program 

because of your efforts. 


SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT 

ALAN BANNISTER 

to the London office of the firm, 

working with colleagues to introduce 

the concept of a single global firm to 

European clients. 

After more than 13 years in London 

as a partner with Clifford Chance, 

Bannister was lured back to NYC 

in 2006 by Gibson Dunn where 

he continues today as a partner in 

the firm’s Capital Markets, Global 

Finance and Securities Regulation 

and Corporate Governance Practice 

Groups. 

Alan Bannister, 

partner with the law 

firm Gibson, Dunn & 

Crutcher, LLP, and 

supporter of FMA, 

hosted two events for alumni and 

members in New York City during 

the past year. Nearly twenty alumni 

gathered in December at Sparks 

Steakhouse to celebrate the season 

and share career updates, and in July, 

NYC alum and interns gathered at 

Mr. Bannister’s house for summer 

cocktails. Bannister’s goal is “to create 

an informal method of networking 

and career building for alumni 

and to support the career building 

momentum being established within 

the Auburn FMA group with its 

impressive recent placements.” 

This summer, Bannister sat down in 

NYC with current member Jenny 

Herrell to discuss his career and 

history of support of FMA. While at 

Auburn, Alan studied accounting 

and was a member of Beta Theta Pi 

fraternity, where he served as rush chair 

and met his now wife, Robin Buchanan. 

After graduating, Alan took a position 

at Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst & 

Young), and from there, decided to 

enroll in law school at the University of 

Alabama. 

After graduating summa cum laude 

from the University of Alabama Law 

School in 1988, Bannister was offered 

an associate position at highly regarded 

Cravath, Swaine & Moore in NYC – 

an opportunity he found principally 

through networking. 

In 1993, Alan was recruited by a 

leading European law firm, Clifford 

Chance, to join them in building what 

was to become the first transatlantic 

global legal practice. Prior to that 

time, the practice of law for US 

and international matters was not 

structured as today, where often one 

law firm advises on the laws of most 

major jurisdictions involved in a 

matter. Instead, particularly for US 

legal matters, US and non-US firms 

would collaborate, but not as a single 

“one stop shop”. In 1994, Alan moved 

However, when asked what he is most 

proud of Bannister shares, “Our three 

daughters.” In fact, following in his 

footsteps, his eldest daughter just 

graduated law school from Fordham 

University, and in October will be 

joining Cleary Gottlieb in NYC, one 

of his biggest competitors; the middle 

daughter just graduated from Barnard 

College of Columbia University and 

is preparing for the GRE; and his 

youngest is beginning the processing 

of choosing a college. Which one ranks 

near the top of her list you might ask? 

Perhaps not surprisingly, Auburn 

University, where he recently took her 

to her first Iron Bowl. 

When asked the most interesting 

experience his career has brought him, 

one experience quickly comes to mind. 

He spent an afternoon with Mikhail 

Gorbachev, former leader of the Soviet 

Union, after encountering him during a 

meeting with a client in Italy. 

In his free time, Bannister enjoys 

traveling with his wife and children, 

playing golf, and supporting Auburn 

FMA, which he believes has increased 

the profile of Auburn students 

tremendously. 


FMA NYC TRIP 


Students meet with veteran banker Chris Andersen. 

FMA New York alumni base continues to grow. 

Fourteen FMA students headed 

to New York City this March for 

the organization’s third annual 

experiential learning trip. 

Fitting of the organization’s travel traditions, the group 

suffered some minor delays, but students and advisor once 

again managed to rise above weather delays and canceled 

flights. In addition to planned corporate visits, students 

participated in the FMA National Student Leadership 

Conference. FMA alumnus Jordan Carr facilitated a Moelis 

& Company visit, where students interacted with an 

analyst panel and fellow Auburn alumnus Nathan Barnes 

walked members through utilities M&A transactions. 

Always the FMA supporter, Auburn graduate Steven 

Aldridge, hosted students at Cantor Fitzgerald - a New 

York based healthcare investment bank. Steve and his team 

gave real world advice regarding the path from Auburn 

to Wall Street and provided insight on challenges and 

opportunities in the healthcare space. 

Students were treated to an insider’s view of the dawn of 

the high-yield debt market when they attended a dinner 

with Chris Andersen. Andersen, an investment banker who 

worked at Drexel Burnham Lambert during the Michael 

Milken high yield glory days, was part of the original team 

with Milken that facilitated high yield M&A transactions 



Alumnus Jordan Carr hosts students at Moelis. 

and changed the corporate takeover 

landscape of the 1980s. He also served 

as vice chairman at PaineWebber before 

founding G.C. Andersen Partners. 

As part of the FMA Leadership Conference, 

students were also afforded an opportunity 

to tour the Wall Street Journal corporate 

offices and participate in the FMA Quiz 

Bowl, a competitive industry challenge for 

all visiting schools. FMA members Lauren 

Spiwak, Price Delk, and Jenny Herrell took 

first place in the preliminary round out of 

several hundred teams. 

One of the trip highlights is always the 

HCOB sponsored alumni event. This 

now annual event began two years ago 

as a product of FMA outreach. It’s truly 

remarkable to see how much the NYC 

base of FMA alums has grown. This trip 

enables underclassmen and upperclassmen 

alike to forge relationships with industry 

leaders and expand the FMA brand. 

These trips wouldn’t be possible without 

the sponsorships of FMA alumni and 

supporters. 


WHERE 

ARE WE 

5 YEAR YIELD 

GOING 

NOW? 


Adtran – Huntsville 

Abhi Gulati 

American Airlines - Dallas 

Matthew Swedenberg 

Matthew Dowd 

Samantha Gee (intern) 

Carson King (intern) 

BAML - Houston 

Lauren Spiwak 

BBVA Compass - Birmingham 

Madeline Akins (intern) 

Capital Group - Los Angeles 

Josh Horton (intern) 

CBRE - Atlanta 

Alex Deljoo (intern) 

Citibank - Houston 

Brittany Clark 

Corning Inc. – New York 

Nathan Holden (intern) 

Cox Communications - Atlanta 

Parth Ranchod (intern) 

Credit Suisse - Houston 

Jim Brewster (intern) 

CRI Capital Advisors - Montgomery 

Jonathan Hu (intern) 

Delta Air Lines - Atlanta 

Matt Hultstrand 

Emily Kravec 

Abby Gipson 

Michael Byron (intern) 

Drexel Hamilton - Orlando 

Glenn Shell (intern) 

Ernst and Young - Charlotte 

AJ Stanley (intern) 

Eversource Advisors - Birmingham 

Reed McMahon (intern) 

ExxonMobil - Houston 

Kate Bagley 

Eddie Neyman 

Mary Margaret Turton (intern) 

Founders IB – Birmingham 

Nick Pope 

Nathan Stein (intern) 

Girls Who Invest - Penn 

Emily Mills (intern) 

Goldman Sachs - NYC 

Bailey Sullivan 

High Brew Coffee Finance - Houston 

Carolyn Cooper (intern) 

IHS Markit - Nashville 

James Rosen 

Johnson Sterling - Auburn 

Preston Wise 

Jillian Colquitt 

KBW - Atlanta 

Ethan Reback (intern) 

KeenVision – Ann Arbor 

Mitwa Patel 

KPMG Consulting - Denver 

Chris Costello 

Manning & Napier - Rochester 

David Thomas (intern) 

Merrill Lynch - Montgomery 

Lee Schuessler (intern) 

New Capital Partners - Birmingham 

Sam Colvin (intern) 

NFP - Austin 

Michael Lee (intern) 

Northwestern Mutual - Birmingham 

Angela Snider (intern) 

Oakworth Capital - Birmingham 

Houston Hollis (intern) 

PGIM (NYC) 

Gracie Haas (intern) 

Physicians Realty Trust - Milwaukee 

Jackson Samples (intern) 

Piper Jaffray - Charlotte 

Caleb Carter (intern) 

Point72 - NYC 

Jenny Herrell (intern) 

Regions – BHAM, Charlotte, ATL 

Brady Johnson 

Maggie Elliott 

Russell Noletto 

Matthew Campbell 

Draper Newton (intern) 

Riley Bell (intern) 

Lexi Lyons (intern) 

Joseph McCormick 

Chris Cory (intern) 

Nadine Moussalli (intern) 

Ashley Moore (intern) 

Stephen Herrera (intern) 

Retirement Systems of AL - 

Montgomery 

Stephen Sadie (intern) 

Sabre Corp. - Dallas 

Toby Snook (intern) 

Stream Realty Partners - Atlanta 

Molly Lupas (intern) 

STRH - Atlanta 

Haley McDonnell 

Ty Lamar 

Taylor Hardin (intern) 

Jake Fink (intern) 

Thomas Collier (intern) 

Michael Parker (intern) 

Valence - NYC 

Price Delk (intern) 

Vista Equity - Houston 

Emily Mills (intern) 

Vulcan Materials - Birmingham 

James Sadie (intern) 

Vulcan Value - Birmingham 

Canon Kuipers 

Wells Fargo Securities - Charlotte 

Jack Albert (intern) 

Delaney Kennedy (intern) 


5 YEAR NOTES - ALUMNI 

Alumni 

Updates 

BY THE NUMBERS 

5 Years of purposeful training, 

engagement and preparation for 

Auburn FMA 

Staying busy with SVB, 

former FMA president, 

Krista Alexon, still 

managed to pull together 

the second annual FMA 

Atlanta Reunion. 


Atlanta Alumni event. 

Kelly Morris was promoted to 

senior consultant in Deloitte Risk 

and Financial Advisory Practice. She 

in engaged to be married next June. 

72 FMA sponsored events held this 

year 

3 Number of FMA – NYC alumni 

events held this year 

8,805 Dollars donated to FMA this 

year from our Alumni Members 

81,750 Dollars spent this year on 

FMA programming 

15 FMA alumni members served as 

mentors for our 2019 new member 

class 

24 New companies now recruiting 

Auburn students as a direct result of 

FMA efforts and preparation 

90,570 Average starting 

compensation for 2019 FMA grads 

121 Applications to FMA this 

academic year 

80 Potential members interviewed 

84 Percent of freshmen and 

sophomores with internships 

21 Student diversity leadership 

programs attended 

174 Students who have benefitted 

from FMA-sponsored Wall Street 

Prep training


Morgan Lynch ‘16 was 

promoted to senior 

financial analyst - ad 

sales at WarnerMedia in 

New York City. Morgan 

and her husband are also 

expecting the littlest 

future FMA’er, a baby 

girl, due October 2019. 

Alumni 

Updates 

Darby Steinberger ’17 

was promoted to account 

manager/coordinator for 

American Airlines Loyalty 

Partnerships Team. 

David Alderman ’17 

joined Intrepid Financial 

Partners in Houston as a 

financial analyst. 

Corbin Tips ’16 will enter the full-time MBA 

program at The University of Texas at Austin, 

McCombs School of Business where he will 

pursue “not being poor.” 

Sean Conley ’16 recently 

relocated to Jacksonville, FL 

& was promoted to AVP with 

BBVA’s Corporate Banking 

Group. Sean is BBVA USA’s 

youngest corporate banker. 

Drake Pooley ‘16 was 

recently promoted 

to associate at A.T. 

Kearney in New York 

City. 

Davis Swicord ’15 

works as an AVP in the 

commercial gaming 

group for BBVA in 

Baltimore 

Natalie (Cizek) 

‘17 married 

Ryan Gehricke 

on 10/13/18. She 

recently joined 

Lexis Nexis 

Risk Solutions’ 

Insurance Finance 

Team in Atlanta. 



Alumni 

Updates cont. 

Andrew May ‘17 was 

promoted to associate at 

SunTrust in Atlanta and is 

beginning Georgia Tech’s 

MBA program in the fall. 

Chris Maurice ’18 

continues to push his 

business Yellow Card 

forward, hiring team 

members, focusing 

on development 

and putting fraud 

prevention measures 

in place. 

Brooke Brennan ’17 

joined Blackstone’s 

Financial Offices Business 

Advisor Program in NY. 

Madelaine Julbert ‘16 now works as a commercial 

underwriter at BBVA and is pursuing her master’s 

in accounting at UAB. 

Trent Baggerly ’18 

joined the software 

startup Terminus in 

Buckhead, Atlanta. 

Tim (Ng) Sheng ‘17 now works with Capco, NY as 

a cybersecurity consultant. 

Haley Walraven ‘17 joined Wells Fargo in New 

York as a capital markets compliance consultant 

in the wealth management and proprietary trading 

space. 

Lucy Anne Link ’17 was promoted within 

American Airlines as a corporate strategy analyst in 

Global Sales. 

Mark Bergmeister ‘18 

joined Summit Midstream 

Partners in Atlanta as an 

analyst in the strategy and 

finance group. 

Kathleen Leavitt ‘18 

has been promoted to 

assistant vice president, 

alternative investments 

sales at Bank of America 

in New York City 


5 YEARS OF RETURNS 

We want 

to thank 

you. 

OUR ALUMNI SPONSORS GAVE BACK 

$8,805 THIS YEAR! 

Thank you for showing your commitment to Auburn 

FMA. The additional training, programming and 

opportunities afforded our student members could 

not be done without our amazing alumni. We are 

especially grateful to those alums that not only gave 

financially, but also reached out to help our members 

with mentoring and recruitment. Our graduates 

in the field have been critically instrumental in the 

growth and recruitment of our current members. 

FMA Executive Sponsors 

We would like to thank our executive donors, John Bright, Betsy Bagley, 

Chris Baker, and Martin Hull, who have invested not only monetarily, 

but also of their time. These individuals believe in our mission to support 

motivated students with the tools that they need to reach their full potential. 

STEWARDSHIP 

Alumni Sponsors 

Blake Martin ‘15 

Kaitlyn O’Connor ‘15 

Mike Boezio ‘15 

Neil Kinnebrew ‘15 

Peter Lund ‘15 

Austin Howard ‘16 

Caroline Clothiaux ‘16 

Chad Caudle ‘16 

Cory Brinkman ‘16 

Drake Pooley ‘16 

Hudson Joyner ‘16 

James Kay ‘16 

Sagar Leva ‘16 

Sean Connelly ‘16 

Trey Manning ‘16 

Andrew May ‘17 

Brooke Brennan ‘17 

Carlie Phillips ‘17 

Daniel Robinson ‘17 

Darby Steinberger ‘17 

David Alderman ‘17 

Haley Walraven ‘17 

James Pinkleton ‘17 

Jason McKinley ‘17 

Kelly Morris ‘17 

Krista Alexon ‘17 

Rushton Scott ‘17 

Benjamin Morgan ‘18 

David Bucko ‘18 

Dustin Watts ‘18 

John Tapp ‘18 

John William Cole ‘18 

Jordan Carr ‘18 

Kathleen Leavitt ‘18 

Katie Grunder ‘18 

Madison Langman ‘18 

Mark Bergmeister ‘18 

Matt Swedenberg ‘18 

Sam Schuessler ‘18 

Timothy Strader ‘18 

Tyler Fraebel ‘18 

Zach Spencer ‘18 

Bailey Sullivan ‘19

FMA_Magazine_2018_2019

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?