Justin Tate | University of West Florida

Justin Tate serves as vice president of Corporate Middle-Market Banking at BBVA Compass. When he's not building relationships, he's building up his community through generous commitments to various local organizations, charities and nonprofits.

How does a typical day look for you?

The first thing I do is plan the day with my assistant, creating an action list. I love lists. Then I stay up to date with world news, trends in marketplace and daily digest from Spain since BBVA Headquarters is in Madrid. After that it’s all about the client, from reaching out to potential clients or following up with current ones.

What are your plans for the Community Foundation of Northwest Florida?

For more than 15 years, the Community Foundation of Northwest Florida has been assisting donors in establishing long-term charitable giving that reflects their individual philanthropic interests while positively impacting our local communities. Since I’ve become chairman, I have been extremely involved and invested in growing our assets under management so that we can meet our common goal of giving back to the community where we live and work.

Tell us about your UWF experience and how it helped you get to where you are today.

During my final year, I participated in an internship with a local financial adviser and that really helped me discover an interest in the world of finance. The communications professors greatly impacted my experience. I learned a lot about crisis communications, public speaking and marketing management, which has proven to be valuable knowledge that I am now able to use in the finance industry.