José González

Biography

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

• D.B.A. - Walden University
• M.B.A.  - Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business
• B.S.  - Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM), Accounting

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Management, Belmont University
• Cofounder and Executive Director, Conexión Américas
• President, CIMA Financial Management LLC.  
• Financial Manager, Total Management Services Inc.  
• Financial Supervisor, Procter and Gamble

SELECTED HONORS & AWARDS

• Inducted into the Nashville Entrepreneur Center Hall of Fame
• Named 'CFO of the Year' by the Center for Nonprofit Management
• Recognized as one of a total of fifty most influential individuals leading and shaping Nashville's future., Nashville's Forward 50

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. González is an Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at the College of Business Administration. He joined the faculty in 2007. Dr. González teaches courses in Entrepreneurship, Financial Management and Leadership

Dr. González graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) in Mexico City with a B.S. in Accounting. He later earned his MBA from The Jack C. Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University. His Doctorate of Business Administration is from Walden University.  Dr. González’s research focuses on Immigrant Entrepreneurship and economic development.

He is particularly interested in Social Entrepreneurship and the links between Economic Development and Entrepreneurship. He is passionate about promoting Study Abroad initiatives and one of his favorite activities as a college professor is to lead international academic trips.  For example, he has been involved in a couple of international economic development entrepreneurship projects working with fair trade coffee farmers in Guatemala; he has lead programs to Argentina to study International Entrepreneurship; to Cuba to study the emergence of private enterprise within the communist regime, etc.  In addition to his work in the classroom, Dr. Gonzalez leads strategic implementation of the University’s efforts to elevate the presence of, and connection with the Latino community.

He began his professional career working in financial roles for Organization BAMA and Procter and Gamble in Mexico City. Later, when he moved to Nashville, he worked in public accounting for several years before starting his own firm CIMA Financial Management, LLC where he provides business and financial management services for start-ups and small businesses.

Dr. González is the cofounder of Conexión Américas (www.conexionamericas.org).   a non-profit organization with the mission to build a welcoming community and create opportunities where immigrant origin families can belong, contribute and succeed. He was responsible for launching several successful initiatives – a homeownership program, an entrepreneurship course for Latino immigrants, and a Financial Literacy curriculum. Under his leadership, Conexión Américas received notable distinctions: Entrepreneurial Venture of the Year, Innovation in Action Award, and Strengthening Families Best Practices Award. Because of the recognition that Conexión Américas enjoys, President Obama came to visit in December 2014.

Dr. González has been recognized as one of a total of 50 most influential individuals leading and shaping Nashville's future. Nashville's Forward Fifty. The local newspaper, The Tennessean, named him as one of Nashville's "Top 40 under [the age of] 40" individuals, for service and commitment to improving the lives of individuals in Middle Tennessee. He is an alum of Leadership Nashville, and Leadership Tennessee; both initiatives that cultivate  networks of business, nonprofit, and government leaders committed to addressing community challenges and opportunities. He was named ‘CFO of the year’ by the Center for Nonprofit management and was inducted into the Entrepreneur Center’s Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN.

He serves on the Board of Directors of a couple of private firms in town. Actively involved in Nashville's civic community, his current and past roles include the Board of the Entrepreneur Center in Nashville, Board of directors at Sister Cities of Nashville, the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and The Healing Trust.