A shareholder of the firm since 2007, Ms. Heier is an integral part of the firm’s leadership, serving on the Verus board of directors and management committee. In addition to overseeing the broad investment division and consulting teams, she provides investment consulting services to a handful of clients, including foundations, university endowments, and hospitals. She also serves as chair of the Verus alternative investments committee, which provides strategic guidance on research initiatives and vets investment manager recommendations.
Ms. Heier spearheads the firm’s efforts around diversity, particularly through her leadership of the Verus-founded Institutional Investing Diversity Cooperative (IIDC). The IIDC is a coalition of consulting firms working to promote greater diversity in the institutional asset management industry by advocating for access to data that captures every dimension of diversity. The IIDC believes that diverse investment teams and viewpoints enhance investment decision-making.
Ms. Heier is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, where she has presented on a broad range of topics such as capturing alpha from quantitative strategies and portfolio operations efficiencies. She was recognized as one of Pensions and Investments’ 2023 Influential Women in Institutional Investing. Ms. Heier serves as a trustee on the board of her alma mater, University of Puget Sound. She is also active in numerous civic and industry groups, including the CFA Institute, CFA Society of Seattle, CAIA Association, and Seattle Children’s Theatre. In 2012, Ms. Heier was recognized as a “40 Under 40” honoree by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
Ms. Heier graduated from the University of Puget Sound with a bachelor of arts (BA) in business and public administration with an emphasis in finance and a minor in economics. She earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2001 and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation in 2011.
