Janet Brugger 

Block 3 Visitor

Teaching BU110: Building Economic Ecosystems for Black and Women-Owned Businesses

About Janet Brugger

Janet Brugger is CEO of JBrugger Consulting which specializes in strategic planning, organizational development and change, and leadership coaching. Janet currently is an Adjunct Instructor at Pikes Peak State College and a Lead Business Navigator with Colorado Enterprise Fund. In addition, Janet served four years as President of the board of directors of the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce.  

Janet has over 25 years’ experience in leadership positions in a wide variety of industries however her passion is giving entrepreneurs the education and guidance they need to be competitive in the current economic environment and as successful business owners. Janet’s current area of research and interest is the development of a sustainable and supportive economic ecosystem for the support of black and woman-owned small businesses.

In addition to serving on local boards, Janet has recently been named to the Leadership Council of the National Small Business Association where she will be working to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.  Her area of focus will be on economic policies that affect small and minority businesses.

Janet received her B.S. in Social and Behavioral Sciences and M.S. in Management/HR Organizational Development from University of Maryland College Park.    

BU110: Building Economic Ecosystems for Black and Women-Owned Businesses

Social entrepreneurship and business ownership—particularly among black and women-owned businesses—can be a crucial way to develop community wealth, for both business owners and the people they employ.  By examining current business ecosystems, this course will explore the systemic barriers that hinder black and women-owned businesses’ efforts to ideate, start and sustain a business. We will explore how the concept of social enterprises through partnerships with public-, private-, and social-sector stakeholders can develop a supportive economic environment for black and women-owned businesses.

Tim Nguyen

Block 4 Visitor

Teaching BU310: Society, Economics, and Business and BU111: Personal Financial Planning

About Tim Nguyen

Tim Nguyen has taught business, economics, finance, and public policy at numerous esteemed colleges and universities across the U.S., including Wesleyan University, University of Vermont, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, and Middlebury College. He has worked primarily in investment management and healthcare service delivery for the past two decades.

BU310: Society, Economics, and Business

This course analyzes the relationships between society, business, and economics by focusing on three key interactions: first, how modern corporations and social enterprises shape civil society, government, and economic policy; second, how business affects society through market forces, market failures, and services provided all members of society; and third, how social issues condition business opportunities and corporate strategies.

Prerequisite: -BU205 and -EC100 or -EC101 and -EC102.

BU111: Personal Financial Planning with Sue Allon

The study of the development and implementation of a personal financial and investment program. Includes analysis of budgeting and tax planning, managing liquidity, financing large purchases, protecting assets and income, analyzing investment information, examining alternative investment types, and investing money for retirement. There is no enrollment limit to this course and it is graded Pass/Fail only.

 Justin Holman 

Block 4 Visitor

Teaching BU325: Topics in Business: Real Estate Investments

About Justin Holman

Justin Holman is Associate Professor of Statistics at the Colorado State University (Pueblo) Hasan School of Business and CEO of Aftermarket Analytics, a software technology company specializing in advanced supply chain analytics for the automotive industry. As a professor, he has received several honors for teaching excellence including the 2018 Outstanding Faculty Award. As a business consultant he has led data analytics projects for major corporations and organizations including Advanced Auto Parts, Home Depot, IBM and the National Cancer Institute. He is a marathon finisher, a Division III college tennis player and an avid real estate investor. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and Mathematics from Claremont McKenna College and a PhD in Geographical Information Science from the University of Oregon.

BU325: Topics in Business: Real Estate Investments

This class will explore the market for real estate investing in the United States. Students will be introduced to the mortgage market, property valuation, ROI analysis and investment strategies for single family, multifamily and commercial assets along with publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). The class will also explore the role of Real Estate in the U.S. economy. We will examine the economic factors leading to the 2002-2007 Real Estate bubble, the 2008 Housing Crisis and the 2009-2012 Foreclosure surplus.

Sue Allon 

Half Block and Block 6 Visitor

Teaching BU111: Personal Financial Planning and BU325: Topics in Business: Liquidity & Financial Crisis

About Sue Allon

At CC, Sue was a Delta Gamma and co-chair of the Economics and Business Student Advisory Board. Sue was founder, CEO, and director of Murrayhill Company, 1997-2005; director of Clayton Holdings Inc., 2005-2008; and founder and CEO of Allonhill, 2008-2014. She was named Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003 and Denver Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Woman in Business in 2004. She has been director of National Jewish Health since 2005 and served as an Advisory Board member of the Tuck School of Business from 2004 to 2019.

BU111: Personal Financial Planning with Tim Nguyen

The study of the development and implementation of a personal financial and investment program. Includes analysis of budgeting and tax planning, managing liquidity, financing large purchases, protecting assets and income, analyzing investment information, examining alternative investment types, and investing money for retirement. There is no enrollment limit to this course and it is graded Pass/Fail only.

BU325: Topics in Business: Liquidity and Financial Crisis

This class is focused on discussion, reading and writing more than on analytics, charts or graphs. We will delve into the liquidity squeezes that have wreaked havoc in the national and global economies in recent decades, beginning with a deep dive into the financial crisis of 2008, and leading to the recent Silicon Valley Bank liquidity crisis. Subjects covered in this class include mortgage fundamentals, predatory lending, secondary market basics, reverse-engineering the structure of a securitization, interbank lending, bank runs (not just the retail banks, but investment banks and nonbanks too), and the complicated-sounding but actually simple derivatives, synthetic securities and indices that add velocity and excitement to any burgeoning market meltdown. In the end, we'll try to understand the Fed policies that failed and those that are effective.

Laquita Blockson 

Block 8 Visitor

Teaching BU315: Business Policy and Strategy

About Laquita Blockson

Laquita C. Blockson, Ph.D. is the Principal/Owner of Blockson Management Advising, LLC (d/b/a the Business Renaissance Guru).  Dr. Blockson is a business/organizational effectiveness expert and scholar who conducts research and provides guidance on entrepreneurial ethics, social venturing, corporate-community relations, urban economic development and minority women entrepreneurs.  She has received grants and awards for her research and her pedagogical approaches from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the National Science Foundation, VentureWell, and the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, among other entities.    

Dr. Blockson earned her doctorate in Strategy, Environment, and Organizations from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business, and both her bachelor's and master's degrees in Business Administration from Florida A&M University’s School of Business & Industry.  She served previously on the faculties of Florida International University, the University of Northern Iowa, the College of Charleston and Agnes Scott College, as well as visiting professorships with Shenzhen University (China) and the University of Otago (New Zealand).

Dr. Blockson has over thirty years of academic and corporate experience.  Before pursuing the doctorate, Laquita worked for Taco Bell Corporation, AT&T, and LG&E Energy Corporation.  She is a former member of the Board of Examiners for the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program, a former director of the South Carolina Women’s Business Center and the former dean of Moravian University's School of Business and Economics.

BU315: Business Policy and Strategy

The role of general managers in creating and sustaining competitive advantage. Applies microeconomic principles and organization theory to study how managers position their firms in ever-changing competitive arenas, marshal scarce resources to develop competencies, and design structures that promote learning and efficient flows of knowledge and information.