Twenty-five University of Nebraska–Lincoln students joined the seventh class of the Investors With Purpose (IWP) program in the College of Business, learning about investing and wealth management while building connections with industry professionals.
Selected through an application process that considers academic achievement, career goals and leadership potential demonstrated through school and community involvement, students in the semester-long course hear from investment professionals each week and connect with them during networking socials after class.
Nebraska alumnus Douglas Waggoner, '75 and '77, founded the program after 25 years as a senior leader at BlackRock, and supports it through the Douglas and Karin Waggoner Family Foundation.
The program is built around four objectives: education, mentorship, internships and community. Waggoner said he hopes the class will educate students on topics that their regular classes can’t, and he encouraged students to pursue the internship opportunities available through the program.
“I can't think of a better experience for a student to have an internship like that,” Waggoner said.
He also emphasized the importance of building relationships as students advance in their careers.
“Putting yourself out there and actually taking that initiative, to make that connection, to make that relationship, that person is going to be impressed,” Waggoner said. “They're going to say this person wants to work. This person is interested in hearing my views and interested in becoming better, that person will naturally make that relationship.”
Brian Neale, chief investment officer for the University of Nebraska Foundation, returned to teach the course for the second year. He said the program moves students beyond theory and allows them to understand how investing works in practice.
“The network they build here is powerful,” Neale said. “Nearly every one of our alumni talks about how connections from this class helped them get where they are today.”
Throughout the course, Neale emphasizes what it means to invest with purpose. Students are encouraged to apply for paid internships working alongside him at the foundation.
Returning foundation interns Charlie Cox, Jacob Furlong and Davis Tetrick participated in last year’s class. Two new interns from this year’s class will be announced soon.
The program held its annual Alumni Night on Oct. 5, bringing alumni and other investment professionals into the classroom to connect with students.
The panel featured three graduates: Parker Barry, ‘24, of Ameritas Investment Partners; Nick Janssen, ‘23, of Wells Fargo Advisors; and Grant Collins, ‘24, of Haley Real Estate Group. They discussed their careers and how the IWP program shaped their time at Nebraska and after graduation.
Janssen said he learns something new every day. He stressed the value of understanding clients' needs and building relationships in their careers.
“I've just learned that while we're the expert, you really need to dive into the human side of money,”Janssen said. “Maybe they’re in retirement, and if the stock market flips, they don't want to hear about the economy and what the markets are doing. They want to know if they're OK.”
Before Alumni Night, Brad Knuth, senior vice president of D.A. Davidson Nebraska and a Husker alumnus, spoke to the class.
Knuth also emphasized the human side of investing, telling students that people will “need someone like you to help them think differently about the pathway of their career.”
“What I learned, is the full expression of humanity, all of us as humans and our behavior, is expressed in asset prices and the way they move, and the subtleties of greed and fear, and how they can have outsized impacts on those measurements.”
Applications for the fall 2027 class open in January and are due March 1. Learn more at business.unl.edu/investorswithpurpose.
The students selected for the 2026 class of Investors With Purpose are listed below by hometown with their current class standing, based on credit hours earned in school, and academic major(s).
Nebraska
Bennington:
- Peyton Sanmann, Junior, Accounting and Finance
- Evan Utech, Senior, Economics and Finance
Elkhorn:
- Mason Cain, Senior, Finance
- George Kolb, Junior, Accounting and Finance
Grand Island:
- Grant McQuay, Senior, Finance and PGA Golf Management
Kearney:
- Brady Luther, Senior, Finance
Lincoln:
- Carson Hillhouse, Senior, Finance
- Miles Maly, Junior, Finance
- Zixuan Shi, Senior, Finance
- Jack Wells, Senior, Accounting and Finance
Milford:
- Gavin Dunlap, Junior, Finance
Norfolk:
- Triston Hoesing, Senior, Accounting and Finance
- Kayden Kettler, Senior, Accounting and Finance
Omaha:
- Spencer Carson, Senior, International Business
- Charlie Conley, Junior, Accounting and Finance
- Ayden Longcor, Junior, Management
- Sam Mullin, Senior, Economics, Finance and Management
- Jack Thiele, Senior, Accounting and Finance
- Ryan Tillotson, Senior, Economics and Finance
- Kaden Tomich, Senior, Finance
Papillion:
- Trenton Andringa, Senior, Accounting and Finance
Rising City:
- Aiden Zimmerman, Junior, Finance
Wayne:
- Mason Ley, Junior, Finance
Elsewhere
Overland Park, Kansas:
- John Jacobson, Senior, Economics and Finance
Waconia, Minnesota:
- Simon Meath, Junior, Accounting and Finance
