Faculty and Alumni Support

The program is supported by two directors, multiple assistants, a very loyal and involved alumni group, professors from the Core and Finance curricula, staff in the Wisconsin MBA program office, and by substantial contributions by one alumnus.

Academic Director

Professor Mark Ready is the ASAP Faculty Director. Mark served on the NASDAQ’s Economic Advisory Board from 1998-2000, and he was the Chief Economist and Director of the Office of Economic Analysis at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from April 2000 through January 2001. Mark has done extensive research in the area of investments and has published many scholarly articles in top finance journals. He also served as associate editor for the Review of Financial Studies and is currently an associate editor for Financial Management.

Hawk Center Director

Brian Hellmer, CFA, 1988 alumnus, has over 20 years of investment experience. Before joining the ASAP in 2009, he was managing portfolios at Northern Capital Management, LLC since 1996 and was Director of Research. He currently consults for the firm. Before joining Northern Capital, he was a senior investment analyst and strategist at Fleet Investment Advisors (Banc of America). Brian has taught classes in the ASAP and has served on the program's advisory board for many years.

Other ASAP-Specific Instructors

Dan Pickett, an Advisory Board member, 1987 alumnus, Principal and Chief Investment Officer of Nakoma Capital Management and former Director of Research of Columbus Circle Investors, is a Lecturer for the Fundamentals of Investing course. Pickett has substantial investment experience in investment leadership roles and has a wealth of knowledge that he shares with the students. Pickett is actively involved in working with first-year students.

Technical and Other Support

ASAP employs a part-time student, various project assistants, and a technical support assistant. The Technical Service Center of the School of Business also provides computer-related support.

Alumni

Over the course of 35 years, approximately 500 students have participated in the ASAP and have become a very loyal and active alumni group. As testament, every two years ASAPers gather for a Fall Investment Conference and approximately 1/3 of the alumni attend. The tight alumni network is a key differentiating factor for the ASAP that creates benefits that last a lifetime.

Core and Finance Faculty

The ASAP benefits from the excellent quality of faculty responsible for teaching the Core and Finance curricula. These professors are leaders in research and devoted to creating great classroom experiences for the students. Please click here to read the bios of the Finance faculty.

Summary

We compete against the top MBA programs for students. Students enroll in the ASAP/Wisconsin MBA because the two-year applied learning experience is difficult to replicate. The 30-40 first and second-year students that participate in the ASAP are supported by six people, not counting the alumni, the faculty and the many resources available through the Wisconsin MBA program office.

The generous gifts of our alumni have made this support possible. The contributions are a testament to what the ASAP has meant to the ASAP alumni and their respective careers. The program's annual needs have been funded by the alumni and, in 2004, a campaign began to fully endow the investment program for the future.