Justin Helm

Emory University, Goizueta Business School

“Curious Texan passionate about personal finance, discovering diverse perspectives, and enjoying a good brewery.”

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Fun Fact About Yourself: When we were dating in college, my then-girlfriend (now wife) and I took our first “big” trip together, visiting Denver, Colorado, where we explored numerous breweries in the River North Art District (RiNo). That trip sparked our interest in exploring breweries, and since then, we have visited over 150 breweries, spanning from Portland, ME, to San Diego, CA, and many places in between.

Undergraduate School and Major: Texas A&M University; BBA in Accounting

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Opportune LLP, Senior Consultant

What makes Atlanta such a great place to earn an MBA?
The Atlanta metropolitan area is the 6th largest in the U.S. and offers many cultural, sporting, and local events and activities. Additionally, Atlanta is relatively low-cost compared to other major U.S. cities and enjoys moderate weather (at least compared to Texas). The city is home to many transplants, making it easy to meet friends both inside and outside of the MBA program who are new to Atlanta. Further, the abundance of job opportunities for spouses relocating with you is a key advantage to getting an MBA in Atlanta. In terms of post-MBA employment, Atlanta serves as a major hub for many consulting firms. Being in close proximity to these offices can make recruiting more efficient and accessible.

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Emory Goizueta’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you?
One of the key factors in my MBA decision-making process was finding a program that emulated the tight-knit culture of my previous workplaces, both of which had fewer than 300 employees. Goizueta initially caught my attention due to its intentionally designed and intimate class size. With approximately 125-150 students per class, Goizueta provides the opportunity to get to know each of your classmates on a deeper level than many other programs. This sense of community was very apparent to me during my visits to Goizueta. An unexpected benefit of an intimate class size is that it facilitates events with partners, allowing my wife and me to easily meet other classmates’ partners and spouses.

What course, club, or activity excites you the most at Emory Goizueta? I am very excited to join the Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) as an MBA Fellow, where I’ll have the opportunity to further explore and develop my interests in entrepreneurship and innovation. Specifically, I am most excited about the CEI-led programs related to early-stage venture investing, which will complement my previous experiences as a CPA working on large capital-raising activities.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? Why? I consider myself a connector of different cultures. Growing up in Houston, one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., I developed an early appreciation for the various world cultures represented by my friends and neighbors. Additionally, my previous work experiences exposed me to the wide range of cultural differences across the U.S. With these insights, I hope to positively impact the culture of Goizueta’s Class of 2026 by facilitating the connection of students with different cultural backgrounds. In turn, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the key differences among classmates with varied occupational backgrounds.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: During my time at the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), I contributed to projects in the banking, insurance, and cryptocurrency industries. Although significant progress and accounting changes were made across all three areas, the most exciting project I worked on was the Accounting Standards Update (ASU) related to crypto assets. Prior to this ASU, there was no definitive or authoritative accounting guidance for crypto assets, such as Bitcoin. Companies that invested in or accepted crypto assets as a form of payment from their customers typically followed existing accounting guidance for intangible assets, which led to unintuitive accounting and financial performance results due to the volatility of crypto assets. As a result of the ASU, companies now record certain crypto assets at fair value rather than at historical cost, leading to more decision-useful information for investors and less burdensome accounting processes for preparers.

Looking ahead two years, what would make your MBA experience successful? The three factors that will most impact the success of my MBA experience are career enhancement, personal development, and exploration.

In career enhancement, success would mean securing a full-time position at a world-class strategy consulting firm. For personal development, success would involve learning new approaches to solving complex problems and further developing the skills necessary to transition from an individual contributor to a leader. Last, for exploration, success would entail leveraging Goizueta’s resources to further pursue my interests in personal finance and FinTech, as well as any new interests that may develop during my time at business school.

DON’T MISS: MEET EMORY GOIZUETA’S MBA CLASS OF 2026