Whaley Auditorium Elevates Community and Learning
Friday, October 9, 2026
By Gene Rebeck
John Whaley, ’74 BSB, says some of his most valuable experiences as an undergrad were his internships at an investment services company and a public accounting firm. As a result, “I came out of Carlson with some real-world experience,” he says. That experience, which primed Whaley for a successful career in finance and accounting, has inspired him and his wife, Annette, to provide a gift to the Connecting Carlson project via the transformed John & Annette Whaley Auditorium.
The Whaleys’ gift reflects their devotion to fostering experiential learning, an idea that’s at the heart of the Connecting Carlson project. “The new auditorium will be more than an auditorium,” Whaley notes. “It can be broken down for different sizes of groups, and that gives Minnesota Carlson a flexible way to advance their students.”
Beyond its adaptable seating, the auditorium offers newfound connectivity to the atrium. A retractable rear wall allows the space to open up or close off as needed, expanding the school’s event options and creating a more communal atmosphere.
Whaley credits his Carlson education with preparing him for his long, successful business career. When he first matriculated at the University of Minnesota, Whaley had plans to become an engineer like his father, Jack Whaley, a 1945 graduate. (Upon graduation, the senior Whaley would spend his entire career at 3M.) But in his sophomore year, John Whaley transferred to the business school, finding that accounting “was a subject I was much more comfortable with.” And as he recalls with a chuckle, “I graduated on Friday afternoon, and started work on Monday morning.”
After a few years working for Minneapolis-based banking company Norwest (later acquired by Wells Fargo), he was asked to join Northwest Growth Fund, a Norwest affiliate firm that focused on venture capital, “a term that hadn’t been coined yet.” There, Whaley oversaw the firm’s accounting and reporting functions. As Northwest Growth Fund itself grew, he also provided his expertise to its portfolio companies, remaining with the firm for 40 years. He retired in 2016 as managing administrative partner of what is now Norwest Equity Partners, the private-equity arm of Wells Fargo.
As he approached retirement, Whaley became increasingly involved with Minnesota Carlson. He helped shape and fund curriculum development for startups for the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship. Later, Whaley provided financial support to the MIN-Corps curriculum for tech-oriented enterprises and the Centennial Scholars program. In addition, he helped launch Atland Ventures, a student-run, seed-stage venture capital fund. “It’s a very good way for students to get a sense of what it’s like to evaluate startup ventures for potential investment,” Whaley says.
The Whaleys were inspired to participate in Connecting Carlson by the passion and enthusiasm of then-Dean Sri Zaheer. “She really wanted to get this redo of Carlson moving forward, and we said we’d be happy to help,” Whaley says.
The Whaleys’ generosity is an act of gratitude for the life experiences that Minnesota Carlson made possible. “My career turned out to be wildly successful, well beyond what we ever imagined,” he says. “We’re in a position to give back, and it’s the right thing to do.”
Photo by Dan Gunderson.
Fly Through Nelson Hall
This article appeared in the Fall 2026 alumni magazine
Discover how a building transformation and more propels Minnesota Carlson into a new era of business education and community connection.