Ms. Heier, President, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Consultant, is primarily responsible for providing leading investment consulting services to a variety of clients, including charitable organizations, corporate retirement plans, and healthcare organizations. A shareholder of the firm since 2007, Ms. Heier is also an integral part of the firm's leadership, serving on the Wurts & Associates Management Committee and overseeing the firm’s operations and Seattle-based consulting staff. Ms. Heier is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where she has presented on a broad range of topics including capturing alpha from quantitative strategies and portfolio operational efficiencies.

As chair of Wurts & Associates’ Research Advisory Committee, Ms. Heier provides strategic guidance to the firm’s research staff on the important issues affecting clients and vetting the research department’s initiatives. Ms. Heier joined Wurts & Associates in 2000 as a member of the Manager Research Group, and was responsible for investment manager and market research. She served as Director of Manager Research from 2002 to 2005. Prior to joining our firm, she worked as an analyst for a financial planning firm specializing in high net worth individuals.

Ms. Heier is active in numerous civic and industry groups, including the CFA Institute, CFA Society of Seattle, CAIA Association, Western Pension & Benefit Conference, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Innovators Network. In 2012, the Puget Sound Business Journal recognized Ms. Heier’s accomplishments by selecting her as a “40 Under 40” honoree.

Ms. Heier graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business and Public Administration with an emphasis in Finance and a minor in Economics. She received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2001 and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation in 2011.