For Wealth Manager Olivia Brinker, MBA ’16, Chatham was a “Value Add”
Olivia Brinker, MBA ’16, graduated from Chatham’s Master of Business Administration program while working at Merrill. (Courtesy of Olivia Brinker)
When Olivia Brinker, MBA ’16, came to Chatham University in 2015, she was working full-time as a client associate at the investment management firm Merrill Lynch (now simply Merrill). Balancing school and work was, as she described it, “coo-coo bananas.”
“It was like drinking from a firehose, essentially,” she said. “But you learn how to balance life’s dynamics and life’s complexities. In this industry, and in the work that I get the opportunity to do with the clients who are part of our practice, complexity is the number one thing that they face.”
With 10 years under her belt at Merrill, Brinker now works as a wealth management financial advisor. She and her team help “ultra-high net worth” clients accomplish their financial goals. “They usually have a wealth transition or a wealth complexity they are dealing with,” Brinker said of her clients, which include C-suite executives, retirees, and families.
She helps guide them through philanthropic efforts, investment management, and personal financial reviews. Her work was recognized by Forbes magazine this year when she landed on their “Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors Best-in-State" list.
When she came to Chatham to pursue her Master of Business Administration degree, she wanted to continue her education to make herself more valuable to her client base. “Having another level or another layer of education that is broad enough to be used in all industries, but specific enough to be applicable, I think is very rare,” she said.
“That’s where Chatham’s MBA falls in for me. You learn a skillset for business and entrepreneurship that is applicable for all industries.”
At Chatham, Brinker was able to obtain her degree in just over a year. That was important to her. “Time was of the essence for me,” she said. And the hybrid model, with some courses being online and others in person, was another plus.
“I had such a great experience conversing with different professors and asking questions and being able to go to them directly, having that intimate relationship, where it was very accessible.”
Professors crafted a curriculum that went beyond the university framework, she said. “The intimacy of the program, and the opportunity for networking that they had on a monthly basis, was something that was very intriguing to me,” she said. At happy hours, she’d meet and connect with people from a variety of industries. “That was a big value add for me.”
“The variety of professors, with their backgrounds, was also very attractive for me,” she said. “I did a lot of research and comparison when I was looking at universities to determine who was the right fit for me.”
After graduate school, there was a gradual evolution in her work. She’d notice more purpose in what she was doing. “You have a lot more of a clear vision of what you’re trying to deliver, both operationally and professionally, and how you're leading clients to accomplish their unique financial goals each day,” she said. “Having that clarity, having that conviction, becomes just natural.”
Interested in a business degree from Chatham? Check out the new School of Business & Enterprise, which offers undergraduate and graduate programs grounded in environmental, social, and governance principles.