Shaping the Future of Global Finance

Alumnus Dr. Jonathan Everhart is a leader in financial innovation and technology

In his role advising the U.S. Government, the World Bank and the United Nations, UIW alumnus Dr. Jonathan R. Everhart CPA, Esq., MCSI (MS ’11, DBA ’17), has quickly become recognized as a global leader in financial innovation and technology.

In August 2022, Everhart was appointed to the United States Investment Advisory Council by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. He was also invited to join the prestigious Bretton Woods Committee as a member of the Future of Finance Working Group earlier this year.

Everhart is the Chairman, CEO and Chief Investment Officer of Global RE Holdings, a company co-founded with fellow UIW alumnus Kyle Utterback (MS ’11).

While it sometimes seems that success comes fast, the path to success is often long; paved with hard-work, preparation and faith. And this was the case for Everhart.

He shared his journey with us from his time as a UIW student to a decorated thought leader in international finance.

Q: As a two-time graduate of UIW, what was your overall experience like at UIW? What did it teach you, both inside and outside the classroom?

A: My experience at UIW was a key part of my educational and professional foundation. The small class sizes and collaborative community at UIW allowed me to establish lasting relationships with professors like Dr. Annette Craven and classmates, like my business partner Kyle Utterback.

The Master’s in Accounting program enabled me to become a CPA, while the DBA program enabled me to become a tenured corporate law professor and a global finance leader. Also, I am from Corpus Christi, so being close to home was beneficial in me attending UIW!

Q: What person, course or experience had the most influence on you at UIW?

A: Dr. Annette Craven, former UIW professor and director of the UIW Doctor of Business Administration program, has been instrumental to my career since I took her graduate Business Communications course.

My company started from a business plan assignment in her class. My co-founder, Kyle, and I created the business plan and agreed to start the company after I finished law school.

Furthermore, Dr. Craven has been a prominent mentor to me, from my global policy work with the United Nations to her recruiting me back to complete my doctorate at UIW. From her own professional endeavors around the world, Dr. Craven told me that I would have the opportunity to speak at the United Nations. She saw this in me.

However, she told me that I needed to have the title of “Doctor” in front of my name in order for my words to carry weight among other global leaders at a forum like the United Nations. She was correct.

In 2018, my company was selected as one of only 15 companies globally to join the United Nations Green Technology Startup Initiative’s Global Community.

I serve on an advisory board for this initiative. The United Nations Secretariat asked me to speak at the United Nations Science-Policy-Business Forum in 2019 on behalf of the advisory board, due to my expertise and the fact that I was the only person on the board who held a doctorate degree.

Dr. Craven’s guidance prepared me for this opportunity, and she continues to mentor me as I move forward in my career.

Q: You’ve earned more than 10 degrees across several academic fields. What inspired you on this journey of learning?

A: Getting an education is very important within my family and was instilled in me during my upbringing. I have also had a handful of professors along my journey who have encouraged me to continue my education.

I learned early on in the corporate world that as a black man, earning a degree was the best way to showcase my knowledge to open doors.

My family, Dr. Craven, other mentors and colleagues… these individuals had the foresight from their own experience to see what I can do and where I can go. But they also knew what I needed to do to be able to ‘sit at the table.’

Simply reading books about a subject or attending continuing education courses was not enough. The degree or license behind my name and on my resume carried much more weight.

As you can see from my accomplishments, this has opened doors to many opportunities that I would not have if I did not have a degree to show for it.

Q: In your role on the United States Investment Advisory Council, how will you help develop attractive opportunities for investment in the United States?

A: As an Advisory Council Member, I will be providing advice and counsel on foreign direct investment and emerging capital markets technologies that can increase the $5 trillion in foreign direct investment in the United States.

All council members have a broad perspective, through their companies, their acumen in the commercial sector and their insight into policy.

For instance, our company is currently launching a publicly traded private equity firm – called InnovativCapital Corp. – on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Our private equity firm is pioneering an innovative asset management investment platform using our global leading Kognetics® technology, which aids in attracting foreign direct investment.

We worked with Nasdaq’s Investment Intelligence division to create our innovative investment platform using Kognetics®. Kognetics® has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the top 10 leading technologies globally shaping the future of the capital markets sector.

The World Bank and United Nations have also recognized the technology and its impact. I advised the World Bank on an initiative regarding Kognetics® use for emerging markets economic development. Last year, I spoke at the United Nations about it, too.

This is the type of advisory expertise I will contribute to the Council and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Raimondo.

Q: You were recently invited to join the Bretton Woods Committee, a group dedicated to effective global economic and financial cooperation. Can you tell us more about the type of work you’ll be delivering with this committee?

The Bretton Woods Committee is the preeminent organization of global leaders in finance and economics. The Bretton Woods Agreement actually created the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in 1944.

I have joined the Committee alongside other esteemed leaders. Members include Dr. Roger Ferguson, Jr. (former vice chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve System), William Rhodes (former chairman and CEO of Citibank), Afsaneh Beschloss (CEO of RockCreek Group), and Dr. Henry Kissinger (former U.S. Secretary of State).

I currently serve on the Future of Finance Working Group. We evaluate emerging trends, challenges, opportunities and ideas across the global financial services sector. I am a lead drafter for several policy briefs on the impact of emerging technologies on the worldwide fintech, cybersecurity and blockchain applications.

Furthermore, I will be periodically attending events, such as the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, to engage with international financial institutions and their member governments.

Our goal is to promote open and integrated markets, international commerce and trade, and investment opportunities.

Q: If you were to speak to UIW undergraduate Business of Administration students now, what personal and career advice would you give them?

A: There are two key points of advice I would give students.

First, there are no shortcuts to achieving your goals. You must go through the process. Second, prepare yourself to seize future opportunities that will eventually come.

Too many times, I see people focusing on whether they will get opportunities. If you go through the process, as I previously mentioned, God promises us the opportunities will be there.

Therefore, you should be focusing on preparing yourself through having the right knowledge, credentials, experience and network so that you can capitalize on the opportunity when it arrives. I hope my journey can be a testament to this.