Forty Years of Service. Forty Years of Giving Back.

Pete Shimer (BA 1984) still remembers the first time the world made sense.

He was a high school student in Beaverton, Oregon, taking his first accounting class. “The debits matched the credits, and the world was in balance,” Shimer says with a smile. “If things didn’t balance, you knew something was missing.”

For Shimer, double-entry bookkeeping was a perfect fit.

That clarity would carry him into a nearly 41-year career at Deloitte, where he became one of the firm’s most trusted national leaders. It also inspired four decades of continuous giving to the University of Washington Foster School of Business. As he prepares to retire from Deloitte in May 2025, Shimer reflects on his career and the importance of giving back to support the next generation.

The long game: Pete Shimer’s leadership legacy at Deloitte

Ask Shimer what stands out most about his four decades at Deloitte, and he doesn’t hesitate.

“It’s the people. No question,” he says. “The people I got to work with, be teammates with, mentor, and be mentored by. Relationships have been the core of this entire journey.”

That journey began in 1984, when Shimer joined Deloitte after graduating from the Foster School with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He became a partner in 1995 and rose steadily through leadership: Managing Partner of the Seattle office (2007–2014), Chief Financial Officer (2016), Chief Operating Officer (2018), and ultimately interim CEO (2023) of Deloitte US during a critical leadership transition.

“It was an honor to lead during that time,” he says of the CEO role. “I felt the gravity every day of what it meant to have responsibility for the entirety of the enterprise.”

But even as his career expanded nationally, Shimer’s roots in the Pacific Northwest remained strong. He worked alongside some of the region’s most iconic companies. “I’ve been more than blessed with the clients I’ve served,” he recalls.

Shimer also shares how his early experiences jump-started his career: “When I was a junior in college, I didn’t know what the Big Eight (now Big Four) accounting firms were, but I was determined to work in this profession. I literally looked up accounting firms in the Yellow Pages and sent a letter to Arthur Andersen in Portland. The letter ended up on the desk of the managing partner, and he recognized my name because I had coached his son at basketball camp. That connection led to an internship, which didn’t formally exist then, and that’s how I got started in accounting.”

During that internship, Shimer met Patty Bedient, who would become CFO and Chief Strategy Officer at Weyerhaeuser and Board Chair at Alaska Airlines. “It’s more than 40 years later, and I’m joining the board at Alaska Airlines,” he says. “It’s a full-circle moment, and it reminds me how much relationships matter in business and life.”

Building a family tradition at the University of Washington

Shimer’s connection to the University of Washington spans 45 years. He arrived on campus in 1980, drawn by the chance to walk on to the Husky basketball team and study at a top business school. His wife, Laurel, is a fellow University of Washington alum. All four of their children—Kathryn, Andrew, Sarah, and Christopher—followed in their footsteps, becoming Husky graduates themselves.

“The University of Washington is just part of the fabric of who we are as a family,” Shimer says. “It has been a constant thread through our lives—Saturday football games, business relationships, community events.”

That deep personal connection is one reason the Shimers have been steadfast supporters of the Foster School. Their giving is both personal and strategic: They’ve endowed a scholarship at Foster and contributed unrestricted funds to support a range of needs. Shimer has also been instrumental in building Deloitte’s strong corporate partnership with Foster. Deloitte has generously funded Foster School professorships, facilities, and initiatives for students.

The reason that Shimer encourages Deloitte and the business community to support the Foster School is clear.

“If we don’t have a strong business school with top students, our consulting and accounting pipelines will suffer,” he says. “It’s in the Big Four’s vested interest to support high-caliber universities in our backyard to ensure we have highly qualified employees in the future.”

His advocacy extends beyond philanthropy. As co-chair of the Foster School’s Development Committee and a longtime member of the Foster Advisory Board, Shimer brings both resources and vision. “The strategy that Dean Frank Hodge and his team have set is worth investing in,” he says. “If you want your money to have tangible ROI as a donor and corporate partner, Foster is the place.”

Lessons from the hardwood: How basketball shaped Pete Shimer

Shimer’s quiet confidence is rooted in something more profound than business acumen. As a former walk-on point guard for the basketball team, he learned leadership in the gym and the classroom.

“I wasn’t a starter. I wasn’t even the backup. I was the backup to the backup,” he says, laughing. “But that teaches you humility. You learn to make your teammates better. You seize every opportunity that comes your way, and you realize that everyone on the team has a role, no matter how large or small.”

“Those lessons of resilience, preparation, time management, and teamwork have stayed with me every day of my professional life,” he says. “I talk about that all the time at Deloitte—team above self. Take care of the enterprise, and self will follow.  Play for the name on the front of the jersey versus the name on the back of the jersey.”

That mindset has shaped how Shimer approaches service, not just at Foster but across the region. He has chaired the board of the Washington Athletic Club, served as president of the UW Foundation, and supported Seattle Children’s Hospital, the Seattle Foundation, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he remains an executive board member.

And he does it all with a sense of grounded purpose.

“My parents always said: leave things better than you found them,” Shimer says. “I’ve been fortunate. People invested in me. I feel a responsibility to pay that forward.”

Philanthropy with purpose

As a family, Pete and Laurel Shimer developed a framework that guides their giving—their four pillars: education, youth, sports, and faith.

“The University of Washington and the Foster School check several of those boxes,” he said. “That’s why giving back just came naturally.”

Their endowed scholarship at Foster is one way they’re building a lasting legacy. “Endowment philanthropy creates annuitized, long-lasting impact,” Shimer explains. “It’s already helping students today and will continue to help students for years to come.”

They also give time to meet with students, mentor emerging leaders, and advise school leadership. “Our mindset is to do more than what’s normally expected,” he says. “I’ve always felt that.”

Looking forward: Retirement, family, and the CAIA

As Shimer steps away from Deloitte (a well-earned “graduation”), his calendar remains full. In addition to joining the board of Alaska Airlines, a connection that stretches back to that early internship, he will also serve as executive chair of the Cancer AI Alliance (CAIA).

CAIA is a collaboration between the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins. Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center secured the initial funding and is the alliance’s coordinating center. CAIA has already received $60 million in funding, AI technology, and expertise from Ai2, Amazon, Deloitte, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and Slalom.

“It’s one of the most exciting initiatives I’ve ever been part of,” Shimer says. “We’re using cutting-edge federated machine learning to improve cancer research and clinical outcomes. I spend a few days a week on it, and it’s deeply meaningful.”

And then there’s family. The Shimers are now proud grandparents. “That’s been a joy,” he says. “We’re enjoying spending time with our children and grandchildren. In retirement, we also plan to spend time cycling, traveling, and following our favorite sports teams.”

But don’t expect him to drift too far from campus.

“I’m a Foster graduate for life,” he affirms.

Words to live by: Advice for Foster School students

Asked what he would say to current Foster School students, Shimer paused, then shared three timeless lessons: “First, be true to yourself. Know who you are, and don’t waver from your values. Second, figure out your leadership credo. Write it down. Be prescriptive. And third, be intellectually curious. Keep learning. Whether you’re 25, 45, or 65, age doesn’t matter.”

And one more thing?

“Remember, this journey is a marathon, not a sprint. When looking back, no one says, ‘I wish I worked a few more hours.’ They say, ‘I wish I went to that event for my child or invested further in more relationships.’ Stay true to yourself and enjoy the ride. It’s magical out there.”