The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware Educates Future Trust Management Professionals

By WSFS Contributor | Published: May 2023

In April, Rob Coppock, Vice President, and Anna Fournaris, Fiduciary Specialist at The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware (BMTCD), a subsidiary of WSFS Bank that provides trustee services for individuals and families establishing trusts for personal tax and/or estate planning purposes, participated in a presentation, “Holding Art in Trusts,” at the University of Delaware for future trust management professionals. BMTCD presented alongside representatives from Gordon, Fournaris & Mammarella, P.A. and Belfint, Lyons and Shuman, and was joined by Jennifer Zelvin McCloskey, JD, LL.M., Director of Trust Management Minor and Instructor for the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Trust Management Minor program.

The presentation was attended by sixteen students enrolled in the program, which was hosted by the Biggs Museum of American Art, in Dover, Delaware. The museum, which houses one of the premium collections of American fine and decorative arts, was recently supported by the WSFS CARES Foundation. The WSFS CARES Foundation supports qualified nonprofit service organizations within WSFS’s regional footprint that are invested in improving communities and fosters a spirit of inclusion and diversity. In addition, BMTCD President, Robert W. Eaddy, serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Biggs Museum.

After the 90-minute presentation, students were invited on a self-guided tour of the museum, including its current exhibit, “Icons of Rock, Blues and Soul.”

This event is one of many that BMTCD has hosted and participated in since helping to found and underwrite the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics Trust Management Minor Program in 2017. A first-of-its-kind program for any accredited business school, the Trust Management Minor Program was a result of a unique collaboration between the University of Delaware, the Delaware Bankers Association (DBA), the Delaware Financial and Educational Alliance (DFEA), and corporate founding partners such as BMTCD and legacy company Christiana Trust of Delaware.

Now in its sixth year, the program continues to fulfill its goals of providing students with comprehensive skills grounded in taxation and estate -planning and establishing a pipeline of experienced candidates for employment by banking and trust companies as well as law firms in Delaware. The program also provides students with hands-on experience through internship opportunities that not only allow them to sit for the Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) license upon graduation, but also has resulted in 100% placement post-internship.

The success of the program can be seen in BMTCD itself, as the company has hired three graduates from the program and continues to work with current students in mentoring and internship capacities with hopes for full employment in the future.

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The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware is a subsidiary of WSFS Financial Corporation. Products and services are provided through WSFS Financial Corporation and its various affiliates and subsidiaries. INVESTMENTS: NOT A DEPOSIT. NOT FDIC - INSURED. NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY. NOT GUARANTEED BY THE BANK. MAY GO DOWN IN VALUE.