Portfolio-
Justin Jernée Spees

Introduction-

Justin is a Lake Tahoe based educator, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Justin's work and passions have helped him to develop a love for learning and teaching. As an entrepreneur Justin is currently managing Just Advisors which is a registered investment advisor firm based in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe. Justin is also the Director of Give The Dream Foundation which helps donors get involved and participate in international aid, animal conservation, and sustainability projects.

Academic Work Experience-

Sierra Nevada University

Incline Village, NV, USA

Chair- SNU Business Department: May 2018- January 2022

Program Chair- Finance and Economics: August 2020- January 2022

Assistant Professor of Business: August 2018- January 2022

Instructor- Global Business (promoted) August 2017- August 2018

Adjunct- Professor Business (promoted) September 2016- August 2017

Teaching-

Courses taught Fall 2016- Fall 2021:

Internship in International Business (Spring and Fall 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Principles of Management (Spring 2018)
Economics 101 (Fall 2018, 2019)
African Development Economics (Spring 2018, 2019, 2020)
International & Ethnic Marketing (Spring 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Business Writing (Fall 2017 & Spring 2018)
Political Economic Geography- SNU/ LTCC Dual Degree (Fall 2017)
Financial Portfolios & Investments (Fall 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures (Spring 2017, Fall 2021)
West Coast Business Field Trip (Fall 2021)
Forces Driving Globalization- SNU/ LTCC Dual Degree (Fall 2016)
New Student Orientation (Fall 2019, Fall 2020)
USAC Study Abroad (Spring 2020, Fall 2020)

Advising-

As the largest single academic department, SNU business is made up of 5 majors. The Chair of the business department has traditionally overseen the advising for each of the students across all majors. Justin works with each and every student in the business department to plan their degree audit, to submit graduation petitions, course substitutions, independent study form, internship requirements, etc.

Administrative Work-

Administrative duties have included:
- Scheduling, Catalog updates, Course modification, Accreditation documentation, Program prioritization, Faculty representation, Public relations, Donor fundraising, Orientation leadership, Internship management, Independent study oversight, Interdepartmental coordination, Faculty training and oversight, Departmental accounting and budgeting, Committee Chair roles, etc.

Service To The University And The Community-

Give The Dream Foundation- From Incline Village Skatepark to SNU Africa Trips
- "With Give The Dream, we support projects around the world. Our goal is to take the donations and directly fund and manage projects for humanitarian work, education, conservation of wildlife, and protection of the environment"-Justin Spees
- Once there was a 15-year-old kid named Justin Spees who grew up in Lake Tahoe, USA and liked to skateboard, but didn’t have any place to practice. So in 1997, he gathered friends together and launched his first non-profit organization: Incline Skateboard Park Foundation that built a community park in town for people to enjoy various sports. He then expanded the original charity he set up as a teenager and renamed it Give The Dream Foundation to support various charitable projects on a global scale. In October 2016, Give the Dream Foundation was also established in the European Union in Stockholm, Sweden.

Business Plan/ Pitch/ Creative Idea/ Innovation Competitions
- SNU generally has 3 to 4 Competitions each year. Justin leads the planning and execution of these events. This includes everything from marketing communication to students, mentoring, community involvement, purchase requests, prize distribution, master of ceremonies, training faculty and judges, etc. Learn more by following this link: https://www.sierranevada.edu/academics/business/business-plan-competitions/

Internship Programs
- Justin works as the internship liaison and academic advisor for the majority of SNU business student internships.
- Examples of student internship partners include: Sierra Angels, Wells Fargo, KPMG, Vail Resorts, Diamond Peak, Local Businesses, etc.

Professional Growth-

Justin continues to work as the President of Just Advisors, Inc., which is a registered investment advisor firm started by Justin Spees in 2008. Justin continues his education related to investments and financial services in order to bring value to clients, the community, as well as students in various courses at SNU. Justin is the Director of Give The Dream Foundation and he continues to fundraise and manage projects around the world. Justin is also involved in property management and rental in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe and is continuing to learn about home repair and renovation. Justin offers affordable housing opportunities to community members and students at SNU. Justin applied for the UNR PhD in Economics Program and is awaiting their decision.

Biography-

BA in International Business, Spanish, and Western European Culture, San Diego State University
MBA in Global Management, Thunderbird School of Global Management
Justin Spees grew up in Incline Village at Lake Tahoe, and has studied, worked, volunteered, and traveled in more than 70 countries. He has been in international finance, marketing, and strategic management roles in both small and large firms. He started an investment advisory firm in 2008, and still manages the business today. While working in Europe from 2011-2015 in the telecommunications and logistics industries, he learned to speak German and Spanish.
Justin started his teaching career at SNU in 2016, and became the Chair of the business department in May of 2018 and the Program Chair of Finance and Economics in August of 2020. He is also the director of a non-profit organization called Give The Dream Foundation, and volunteers as a project manager for international humanitarian and conservation efforts. His favorite thing about living and working at beautiful Lake Tahoe is that he can do all the things he loves between classes, whether it’s hiking, paddleboarding, mountain biking, snowboarding, or kitesurfing.

Student Feedback-

Investments and Portfolio Management Course Evaluation:
- Student Comments- "Good class, knows his stuff and has a good background for teaching the subject. 10/10 would recommend for every student, not just finance majors, since everybody should invest."

International Marketing Course Evaluation:
- Student Comments-
  - "This was a great course and having Spees was the best choice for teaching this."
  - "Justin is a great teacher is always prepared and is passionate about teaching."

Microeconomics Course Evaluation:
- Student Comments-
  - "This has been a great class so far. The content has been interesting and Justin has great knowledge on the topics. I would definitely recommend this class."
  - "Thanks a ton, actually love this class, despite coming into it thinking I was going to hate it and have a really hard time with it. Spees is rad. Thank you. "

Links-

https://www.givethedreamfoundation.org/

https://just-advisors.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-spees-mba-4727b514/

Curriculum Vitae-

Justin Jernée Spees, MBA

Email: justinjspees@gmail.com; Phone: (775) 241-3818

Address: 808 Northwood Blvd. 2 Incline Village, NV 89451 USA

Professional Experience:

Sierra Nevada University

Incline Village, NV, USA

Chair- SNU Business Department: May 2018- January 2022

Assistant Professor of Business: August 2018- January 2022

Instructor- Global Business (promoted) August 2017- August 2018

Adjunct- Professor Business (promoted) September 2016- August 2017

Courses taught Fall 2016- Fall 2021:
- Internship in International Business (Spring and Fall 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- Principles of Management (Spring 2018)
- Economics 101 (Fall 2018, 2019)
- African Development Economics (Spring 2018, 2019, 2020)
- International & Ethnic Marketing (Spring 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- Business Writing (Fall 2017 & Spring 2018)
- Political Economic Geography (Fall 2017)
- Financial Portfolios & Investments (Fall 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- Financing Entrepreneurial Ventures (Spring 2017, Fall 2021)
- Forces Driving Globalization (Fall 2016)
- New Student Orientation (Fall 2019, Fall 2020)
- West Coast Business Field Trip (Fall 2021)
- USAC Study Abroad (Spring 2020, Fall 2020)

Administrative duties have included:
- Scheduling, Catalog updates, Accreditation documentation, Program prioritization, Faculty representation, Public relations, Donor fundraising, Orientation leadership, Internship management, Independent study oversight, Interdepartmental coordination, Faculty training and oversight, Departmental accounting and budgeting, etc.

Just Advisors, Inc.

Incline Village, NV, USA

Investment Advisor Representative/ Managing Director:

August 2008- present

Founded and incorporated the registered investment advisor firm in 2008

Marketed the firm’s financial and consulting services to clients by implementing multi-channel marketing principles

Managed representatives and supervised all trading and client correspondence

GTT Rental S.L.

Murcia, Spain

Country Manager Spain and Denmark: March 2013- June 2014

Created and implemented an international development strategy that established Spanish and Danish subsidiaries for a German industrial vehicle rental firm

Managed all aspects of the new subsidiaries from strategic planning through the managed services stage

Held responsible for host country hiring, training, sales, marketing, accounting, purchasing, and partnership agreements

Delivered a positive return on investment within nine months of initial market entry, and secured steady cash flows for the next two years

Rudolf Greiwing Handelsgesellschaft mbH & co KG

Münster, Germany

Manager Strategic Operations- International Business Development: September 2012- March 2013

Developed organizational structure and an internationalization strategy for rapid expansion of the industrial vehicle rental firm in Spain, Denmark, Austria, Poland, and Hungary

T Mobile - Deutsche Telekom, AG (Headquarters)

Bonn, Germany

Multinational Corporations- Senior Expert Segment Management - Marketing

Multinational Corporations- Junior Manager - Marketing (promoted):

September 2011- July 2012

Managed a team that researched and presented competitive intelligence to directors of management and B2B marketing for multinational corporate accounts

Worked with a team of senior managers to develop white papers, marketing materials, and marketing strategies for various projects targeted towards multinational corporate customers throughout the international footprint

Updated and implemented business forecasting tools that categorize information and deliver insights to T- Mobile’s international subsidiaries

Keystone Capital Corporation

San Diego, CA, USA

Registered Representative, Assistant VP Financial Operations:

October 2006- August 2008

Ranked as Keystone Capital’s Top Sales Producer for 2007 and 2008

Developed and administered an undergraduate internship program in San Diego which has been ranked as the best financial internship program in San Diego County by several universities

Held responsible for preparing the financial statements and tax documents that we submitted to the financial regulators

Served as the Secretary on Keystone Capital’s Board of Directors

Passed the Series 66 and the Series 7 exams

Professional Skills:

Languages: English (native); Spanish (advanced); German (working proficiency)

Computer Skills: Excel (advanced), Office Suite (advanced), SPSS (intermediate), Lindo Linear Programming (intermediate), @Risk (intermediate), Adobe Creative Suite (intermediate), Social Media Marketing Platforms (advanced)

Education:

Thunderbird School of Global Management

Phoenix, AZ, USA

MBA in Global Management: Graduated August 2010

Awarded the Global Entrepreneurship Provost Scholarship

Served as Thunderbird Student Government Corporate/Alumni Relations Chair

Thunderbird Consulting: Gathered business intelligence and built financial forecasts for a Fortune 500, industrial supplies client.

Thunderbird Global Experience: Traveled to Japan to for a month for a program involving MBA students and executives of several large corporations showcasing sustainability of new technologies in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto

San Diego State University San Diego, CA, USA

BA in International Business: Graduated December 2006

Emphasis: Strategic Management, Western Europe, and Spanish.

Delta Sigma Phi President 2001 and 2002; Philanthropy Chair 2003 and 2004

Universidad de Antonio de Nebrija

Madrid, Spain

San Diego State University Study Abroad Program:

September 2005- February 2006

International business emersion program taught in Spanish as part of the San Diego State University International Business Major

Volunteer Work:

Give The Dream Foundation

Southern Africa & Southern Asia Conservation Expeditions:

May 2017- Present

Led a group of 11 volunteers who visited the western Cape of South Africa, Kruger National Park, and Lesotho in May of 2017, 2018 and 2019.

Travelled to India and Sri Lanka in January 2018 to work with conservation project leaders at local animal hospitals and in the national parks. Raised funds for the charity in 2021 to support ongoing operations

Organized projects, fundraised, and volunteered in order to advance various projects related to wildlife, ecosystem conservation, and education in southern Africa and southern Asia 2017-2021

Traveled to Villages in Lesotho to help build high secondary school dormitories as part of a U.S. Peace Corps Grant 2017. Continued to raise funds for the Peace Corps Projects in 2021.

Give The Dream Foundation

West Kara, Togo

West African Water Project: December 2014- Present

Traveled up country to small villages throughout Togo to deliver and repair water pumps in coordination with the U.S. Peace Corps and the Togo Clean Water Project.

With the donations of various individuals, organizations, and charities, we have been able to bring a clean water source to 42 villages over the last three years. The water sources supply approximately 20,000 people. This project is ongoing.

Give The Dream Foundation

Murcia, Spain

Organic Farming to Fight Hunger: December 2013- Present

Organized a group of volunteers who cultivated land which belongs to a local environmental center

The project aims to donate 100% of the harvest to charities and those in need and it is ongoing.

Give The Dream Foundation

Upper River Region, The Gambia

West African Water Project: June 2013- July 2013

Traveled up river in The Gambia on two trips during the summer to help a school of 400 children restore water pumps, solar panels, and plumbing that were not working for almost three years

With the donations of various individuals, organizations, and charities, we were able to find an environmentally sustainable solution that should deliver water to the buildings and classrooms of the school for the next 20 years.

World Trade Center Association

San Diego, CA, USA

Programs & Marketing Intern: July 2006- December 2006

Implemented a marketing communications and event planning strategy at the World Trade Center Association

Introduced new membership benefits to thousands of current and prospective corporate members which resulted in increased participation in trade seminars, fundraising, and WTC non-profit events

Delta Sigma Phi Foundation

San Diego, CA, USA

President/Philanthropy Chair: November 2001- December 2004