M.B.A. student JB Reed is a champion for the less fortunate. For more than five years, she practiced law with a legal aid organization in Jacksonville, Fla. Her clients were primarily low-income women of color and elderly and disabled persons. Then she spent a year teaching business law to graduate and undergraduate business students at the University of North Florida. The next 4 years were devoted to working with non-profit agencies that provided medical and social services to AIDS/HIV clients. Thereafter, she devoted almost ten years as the executive director/CEO of a non-profit educational agency that encouraged preK-12 grade students, mostly from the inner-city, to pursue health careers. Last summer, she traveled to Costa Rica to help develop a strategic plan for UGA’s campus in Costa Rica, and she also recently organized a joint symposium for UGA business and law school students focusing on equity financing and mergers and acquisitions. The conference, held at the Terry College Buckhead facility, demonstrated how these students’ respective professions work together to create wealth and expand business opportunities in the real world. After graduation in May, she plans to use her M.B.A. to pursue business ventures and opportunities in corporate philanthrophy that will allow her to continue her work for economic and social justice issues.
Hometown:
Staunton, Virginia
High School:
Stuart Hall Preparatory School
Degree objective:
Master of Business Administration
Other degrees:
Juris Doctorate, The National Law Center, George Washington University
B.A., Politics and Government, Ohio Wesleyan University
Expected graduation:
Fall 2007
University highlights, achievements, awards and scholarships:
I organized a joint symposium for business and law school students focusing on equity financing and mergers and acquisitions at the Terry College Buckhead facility. Joseph Alexander, a partner with Hunton & Williams, a prestigious national law firm, was the keynote speaker. Last summer, I traveled to Costa Rica to help develop a strategic plan for UGA’s campus in Costa Rica. The San Luis Ecolodge and Research Center is a phenomenal facility that provides a unique study program experience for UGA students in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. As one of three study abroad centers managed by the University, UGA Costa Rica is making a significant contribution to President Adams’ goal that, by 2010, at least 25 percent of all UGA graduates will have a study abroad experience. Additionally, during both of my years in the MBA program, I served as an ambassador for the M.B.A. Office of Admissions, as a student representative to the M.B.A. Career Resource Center and as a member of the Graduate Minority Business Association. My community work includes consultations with several start-up profit and non-profit agencies to help with organizational development and resource management activities.
Current Employment:
I have had a great job as a graduate assistant for the past two years. The Terry undergraduate students are a really neat group, and I have enjoyed working with them! During my first year as a graduate assistant, I was assigned to be the teaching assistant for BUSN 1020, a course that introduces potential business majors to the Terry College and equips them for the application process. At the end of the first year, Chris Pope became the Academic Director of Undergraduate Programs and Craig Shane became the Director of Undergraduate Programs. As part of their efforts to reevaluate the undergraduate curriculum and program policies and procedures, they allowed Nancy Garrett, Program Specialist II, and me to significantly revise the BUSN 1020. This year, we increased both the academic rigor of the course and the significance of the community service component. As a result, last semester, BUSN 1020 students provided over 11,000 community service hours to Athens-Clarke County residents and this semester, we will add another 5500 community service hours! I can’t tell you how exciting it is work with the students and with the community agencies that appreciate the services UGA students provide.
I chose to attend UGA because…
The truth of the matter is that a person seeking an MBA degree will take the same finance, management, accounting, and marketing courses wherever they enroll. So, when I was deciding where to obtain my MBA, I was looking for something extra. The Terry College’s emphasis on professional and personal leadership development is the “added-value” that resulted in my coming to Terry. In addition, the small classes, individualized attention, and exceptional faculty and administrative staff will make my Terry MBA one of my most prized possession come graduation day!
My favorite things to do on campus are…
I think the UGA campus is very pretty during the spring and fall. I love just walking around, enjoying the beautiful grounds, and seeing all the students.
When I have free time, I like…
…spending my free time at museums, the theatre, musical performances, and otherwise enjoying the creative arts. I also enjoy traveling. During spring break, I traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, China as part of my international experience at Terry. To be quite frank, I never really thought about going to China. However, when we had the opportunity to go, I couldn’t imagine not taking advantage of doing so! Finally, I use some of my free time for community service. I use my legal training and business skills to provide pro bono services to non-profit agencies and to small business start-ups. This is a great way to help others fulfill their dreams!
The craziest thing I’ve done is…
When I was a junior at prep school away from home, I really wanted to work at the Fresh Air Fund Camp in New York that summer. My mom told me to come home and we would talk about it. I was a little rebellious at that time (and still am) and knew that if I went home, I wouldn’t be allowed to go. So, I just went to the camp!! It was great!! My mom wasn’t happy but …
My favorite place to study is…
…the 5th floor seminar room in Brooks Hall. This is a great study place. It’s quiet, peaceful and welcoming!
My favorite professor is…
…Peter Shedd. When I was trying to figure out how, as a lawyer, I could fit into the business environment, Professor Shedd was there with great perspective and advice. Since that time, I have adopted him as a mentor, coach and role model. His “teaching” goes well beyond the classroom. I have found him to be a professional and wonderful human being who possesses integrity, compassion, and vision.
If I could share an afternoon with anyone, I would love to share it with…
…UGA’s President Michael Adams. I would have a three-fold agenda: First, as UGA looks to its alumni network to provide more of the support for endowments and institutional operations, I would like to know how he would like the next generation of alumni to position ourselves to be more supportive – financially and otherwise – to the university. Second, I would like to share with him a few of my experiences in the MBA program. Finally, I would like to talk with him about his visionary investment in the Costa Rica campus.
If I knew I could not fail, I would…
…totally overhaul the educational system inside and outside the United States. I believe education is the answer to many, if not almost all of the social, economic, cultural, and political issues facing our country and the world. Prior to enrolling in the MBA program, I was the Executive Director/CEO of a non-profit organization that developed science, mathematics, and technology education programs for preK-12 students and their teachers in urban settings. The goal was to encourage these students to pursue medical and healthcare careers. Through this experience, my commitment to public education was increased 100 percent, which is pretty incredible since I came from a family of educators and this commitment was already quite significant!
After graduation, I plan to…
The importance of the work I engaged in on the “front-line” of social and educational issues cannot be understated. I constantly encourage others to take up this cross. However, there is a part of me that feels that I have not accomplished much at all. I want to have a legacy that can continue to benefit others. So, at this point in my life, I want to develop the financial resources to provide long-term sustainability for the types of programs I developed earlier in my career. My goal now is to generate as much wealth as I possibly can and/or to have access to extraordinary financial resources that can be used for philanthropic purposes, particularly in the areas of education and economic development. My goal is to make our world a better one for all concerned. My vision and career goals have not changed – my methods and approach have.
The one UGA experience I will always remember will be…
January 2004 was the first time I was on UGA’s campus. It was an ugly day, and I thought this was the ugliest campus I had seen. Nevertheless, I was determined to see the business school because this is why I had come to Athens. And, there it was. I kid you not – the Terry College was the only building that the sun was shining on that day, and I knew it was where I was supposed to be. Since then, the sun has shined all over UGA, and being here has been a great experience for me!!