John Reese to Receive Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award

John Reese from Chicago, IL, Class of 1977 and a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, will receive the Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award given at a special Alumni Honors Convocation Ceremony to be held at 10:30 a.m., April 23, during Alumni Weekend in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury on the Westminster College campus in Fulton, MO.

Reese is Chief Executive Officer of Price Asset Management, LLC.  He was most recently Executive Managing Director and Senior Vice-President of Wells Fargo Asset Management.

The Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award is presented annually to alumni whose accomplishments reflect the Westminster mission and who have distinguished themselves through personal achievements, professional achievements and /or have made significant contributions to society.  The award is approved by the Alumni Council and requires a motion and vote from the Board of Trustees for approval.  Up to six alumni can receive the award annually.

“Arriving at Westminster College, I had no idea what I wanted to study or what career I would end up pursuing, so a liberal arts college was the perfect choice,” says Reese.  “I developed an interest in both Psychology and Economics, and ended up majoring in both, with the idea of entering law school upon graduation.  During Short Term my senior year, another student and I completed a school-sponsored 4 week case study of a corporation in St. Louis.  In one session, I was introduced to the world of corporate finance by the CFO, a former investment banker.  I was hooked and my plans changed completely.  This experience, directly attributable to a program offered at Westminster, led to my lifelong career in finance.”

At the time of its acquisition by Wachovia Bank, and subsequently Wells Fargo, Reese was a partner and board member at ECM Asset Management Ltd., a London-based investment manager, and served as President of ECM Inc., the North American subsidiary.  Before leaving to join ECM, he was employed by Merrill Lynch for over 20 years in a variety of capacities, most recently as Managing Director in the Global Debt Markets division in New York.