Management Team

The success of our group can be directly attributed to the high quality of leadership and the strength of our management team. Our goal is to ensure the continued success of our financial representatives by providing the proper guidance and support to help them experience both personal and professional growth.

Meet our Management Team:

Cory Mahaffey, MBA, CLU®, CFP®

Managing Partner
cory.mahaffey@nmfn.com

Portland, Oregon

Cory Mahaffey, MBA, CLU, CFP, began his career with Northwestern Mutual in 1997.  He holds a Bachelor's degree in English and an MBA from Brigham Young University, during which time he joined Northwestern's internship program.  As an intern, Cory was the national lives leader and earned a spot in the Top 10 interns in the country.  In 1999 Cory completed his internship and moved into management as a College Unit Director, while also managing a successful personal practice as a financial representative.  His first year into his full time practice he was Top 10 for the Mike Gish Award, and qualified for the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum awards.  He has also achieved regional Top 50 in Lives, New Clients, Life Insurance Face Amount, and Investment Honors multiple times.

In 2004, Cory became the Managing Director in Provo, Utah, where he led his District Agency to receive the DA Growth Award in 2004 and 2006-2008.  On September 1, 2009 Cory returned to his native Pacific Northwest and was appointed Managing Partner in Portland, Oregon, where he now oversees operations in Medford, Bend, Eugene, Coos Bay, Corvallis, Lake Oswego, downtown Portland, The Dalles, and Vancouver, Washington.

Outside of the office, Cory is involved in the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Women In Financial Services, the Children's Relief Nursery, and his church.  He relaxes with golf and snowboarding and is an avid reader, but most of all enjoys time with his wife Heidi and their three children.

Michael Atterberry, CLU®

Financial Advisor

Eugene, Oregon

Mike Atterberry, CLU, joined Northwestern Mutual in 1999, and has built a successful practice in the Eugene area.  In 2000 Mike qualified for the Bronze award as a new Financial Representative, and went on to place in the regional Top 50 for new clients in 2001 and 2003.  He earned the National Quality Award in 2002 and 2007-2010. 

Enjoying management opportunities from his previous career in media sales, Mike is now enjoying recruiting and developing new financial representatives for the Eugene office. 

Mike and his wife, Caryn, are both natives of Oregon and love taking advantage of the outdoors in the beautiful Eugene area.  They enjoy spending time with their sons and grandchildren, as well as traveling, gardening, and taking their Golden Retriever, Logan, hunting.   Mike is also an avid University of Oregon basketball and football fan.

Matt Benjamin, MBA

Field Director

Portland, Oregon

Matt Benjamin is a native of Tillamook, Oregon and a graduate of Willamette University with a BA in Economics and an MBA from Atkinson Graduate School of Management.  It was during his MBA at Atkinson that Matt was introduced to the Northwestern Mutual internship program.  He earned the Power of 10 in 2005, and was awarded Intern of the Year for the agency.  As a new Financial Representative, Matt qualified for the Bronze and Silver awards in 2006 and 2007, going on to earn the National Quality Award in 2008.  During this time Matt became a College Unit Director, helping to recruit and develop the agency's next top interns.  In 2007 Matt moved to the downtown Portland office as a Field Director, where he now works with the Selection and Development teams to identify and train the next generation of successful new Financial Representatives.

Matt calls Salem, Oregon 'home,' where he enjoys fishing, cheering for his former football team- the Willamette University Bearcats- and spending time with his fiancee, Lauren. 

Ben Kalina, MBA, CLU®, ChFC®

Field Director

Medford, Oregon

Ben Kalina, MBA, CLU, ChFC is a native of southern Oregon and Field Director in the Medford office.  Shortly after graduating from Southern Oregon University- he holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, a Certificate of Applied Finance and Econmics, and an MBA- he began his career with Northwestern Mutual.  He qualified for the Bronze award in 2001, and in 2002 placed in the regional Top 50 for new clients. Ben earned a National Quality Award in 2004, an achievement he repeated in 2005 and 2007-2010.  In 2006 he stepped into a management role, becoming the College Unit Director for the Northwestern Mutual internship team at his alma mater.  He also qualified for the Life Impact Award that year, as well as in 2007 and 2008.  Ben was then appointed as a Field Director, and now recruits and develops new Financial Representatives in Medford while running his own successful practice.

Believing strongly in community connection, Ben's volunteer activities include the Medford Rogue Rotary, Southern Oregon Estate Planning Council, The ARC of Jackson County, and First Baptist Church of Medford.  Outside the office, Ben enjoys coaching youth soccer, attending Oregon State University football games, golfing, and spending time with his family.  Ben resides in Medford with his wife Shelly and their children.

Matt Muralt, CLU®

Financial Representative

Lake Oswego, Oregon

A graduate of Pacific University, Matt Muralt, CLU, joined Northwestern Mutual as a Financial Representative in 1993 after earning his Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. He qualified for the bronze, silver, and gold awards as a new representative, and in 2000 earned a spot in the western regional Top 50 for lives and new clients. In 2001 he qualified for the Life Impact award, which he earned again in 2005-2007, and 2010. 

Matt also began his career in management that year, and has held the positions of Field Director and Managing Director in addition to maintaining his successful practice as a Financial Representative. In 2002 and 2007-2010 Matt was excited to qualify for the National Quality Award, recognizing his competence and dedication to the insurance industry and his clients. Matt currently works with recruiting, developing, and mentoring new Financial Representatives for the Lake Oswego office.  

Matt is a member of The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club, where he enjoys golfing with friends and clients as often as possible, and the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. He also enjoys playing competitive soccer and his role as coach for his daughter.

Kevin Sailor

Field Director

Lake Oswego, Oregon

Grant Timperley

College Unit Director

Vancouver, Washington

Grant Timperley began his financial services career as a Northwestern Mutual intern while completing his Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at Washington State University- Vancouver.  He was a Power of 10 qualifier during his internship, and after graduating in 2006 became a full time Financial Representative.  He qualified for both the national and regional Bronze and Silver awards as a new representative, and stepped into management in 2006. 

Grant is now the College Unit Director for the Vancouver office, where he mentors interns from Clark College and Washington State University- Vancouver.

When not seeing clients or working with his college agents, Grant enjoys golf, motorcycling, and British motorcycle restoration.

Jim Welsh

College Unit Director

Portland, Oregon

Jim Welsh became a part of Northwestern Mutual in Utah in 2004, where he held numerous operational positions before transitioning into the internship program while a student at Utah Valley University.  As an intern, Jim achieved the prestigious Power of 10 award in 2007-2009.  After becoming a full time financial representative, he qualified for the Bronze award both regionally and nationally.  Most recently, Jim has stepped into management as a College Unit Director in the downtown Portland office and is working with students from numerous colleges and universities from around the Portland area in the Northwestern Mutual internship program.

As a Financial Representative, Jim specializes in family owned business transactions and succession strategies, capitalizing on his own experience running his family's business.

Jim now calls Beaverton home, where he resides with wife Christy and their three children. He is actively involved with Boy Scouts, and enjoys athletic endeavors such as skiing, basketball, and softball.