"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."  John F. Kennedy

In a recent Forbes survey, 92% of employers hiring college graduates state that “leadership experience” is one of their top five skills sought.  Shockingly, these same employers state that nearly 60% of recent graduates interviewed lack actual leadership experience.

As always, we are looking for qualified individuals to become the next UTIG Officers.  To apply for an officer's position, please email Dr. Lenn.

Founding Members
Greg Curtin + Dilshod Jumaniyazov

Greg Curtin and Dilshod Jumaniyazov founded the UT Investment Group (UTIG) in Fall 2010 as seniors at the University of Tennessee. They developed the mission, name, and monthly meeting format, and even led break-out sessions on non-speaker meeting dates. Greg and Dilshod met with students every two weeks, leading discussions on topics such as currency trading, swaps, options, and futures trading. They also formed study groups to support students preparing for the CFA Level I exam.

Starting with approximately 20 students, UTIG has since grown to over 300 students annually and is now an officially recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Tennessee. UTIG also hosts a renowned trading competition, which has garnered press coverage from the Knoxville News Sentinel.
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Laura Seery Lenn
Dr. Lenn earned multiple degrees from Auburn University before pursuing her Ph.D. in finance from the University of Tennessee. She joined the faculty of the UT Department of Finance in 2009 as the Sharon Pryse/The Trust Co. Director of the Masters Investment Learning Center. Currently, she teaches courses in Bloomberg software, investments, financial derivatives, the honors Haslam Scholars program, and the Physicians Executive MBA (PEMBA) program.

Her research interests focus on corporate finance and governance, with her work being cited in the Wall Street Journal and on Bloomberg. Dr. Lenn has contributed to wsj.com, Bloomberg, CSPAN, and CNN, as well as various local television and news programs. She has served as a panelist for the East Tennessee Women’s Leadership Summit and has been a featured guest on WUOT Radio (NPR Affiliate) for “Women in Business and Leadership Roles,” among other segments.

In addition, Dr. Lenn lectures to professional investment organizations and groups across the Southeast on topics such as ethical investing, fundamental valuation techniques, statistical backtesting for portfolios, and options valuation strategies. She also serves as the internship coordinator for the Knoxville chapter of Finance Executives International, is on the board of the Women's Fund of East Tennessee, and speaks pro bono to women’s investment groups nationwide.

In 2014, she was named one of the Greater Knoxville Business Journal’s "40 Under Forty: The Region’s Rising Stars," received the ATA's "Humanitarian of the Year" award in 2017, and is a member of the Leadership Knoxville Class of 2021.
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