Building a career in financial advisory—and giving back to the school that started it all
Kati Starkey was an accounting major when a friend changed her life with a simple invitation.
"I was in an accounting class, and a friend walked me to [Health and] Human Sciences and introduced me to Jerry Mason," she recalls. "That was enough to convince me to change my major that same day."
That decision, though it set back her graduation, proved to be the best one she's ever made. The 2001 graduate of the Personal Financial Planning bachelor's degree program is now a Managing Director at Charles Schwab in Westlake, leading a sales team of five Senior Relationship Managers who oversee relationships with the region's largest financial advisors—collectively managing $400 billion in assets under management across 18 states.
Her path from Lubbock to where she sits now wasn't linear. After graduating from the School of Financial Planning, Starkey worked for an RIA in New Jersey, but Texas called her home. A move to Schwab 23 years ago became the foundation of her career.
"I get to show up at a job I love and still stay connected to the school that helped get me here," she said.
Starkey credits much of her professional success to lessons learned in Lubbock. A piece of advice from longtime chair, Vickie Hampton—to always have both a mentor and a mentee became a guiding principle.
"A mentee doesn't necessarily have to be someone younger either," Hampton said. "You have a lot to offer."
For current students, her advice is direct.
"Ask all the questions. This industry wants to help you be successful."