Alumni Shout Out!

Joe Mera graduated from UCF in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in Accounting.  His current position is the Associate Director of Accounting and Financial Management Services.  There are three primary roles in this position:  manage the Endowments for the foundation, manage five pools of investments valued at $138 Million, and serve as the Liaison between the Finance and IT departments. Shortly After graduating UCF, he worked for the Bank of New York.  There he worked with many UCF graduates.  Joe later moved on to work for CFI Westgate as a senior financial analyst and was contacted by a former co-worker of the bank who was currently working for the UCF Foundation.  She informed him of the position at UCF and when the position was presented to him, he thought there would be no better way to give back to his alma mater than to work for them.  It was one of the best decisions he has made.  "Being a fiduciary of the endowments for UCF is a very gratifying experience.  I see firsthand the meaningful impact of donors’ gifts on UCF students, faculty, and programs."

General information about Joe Mera: 

• Joe was born and raised in Orlando, Florida.  When talking about Orlando, he says, "I have seen the city’s evolution from the many orange groves that dotted the area to the new downtown skyline and neighborhoods that now dominate the area.  It is also wonderful to have seen how UCF has grown in the small time since I graduated 7 years ago."
• When Joe is not working, he is heavily involved in tennis, participating in a doubles league and playing tournaments.  He also maintains a close relationship to UCF through the Alumni Association.  Joe was the Chair Elect, and then Chair for Fiscal Years 08 and 09 for the UCF Young Alumni Chapter.  He has also been inducted as a member of the Alumni Association Board.  Aside from that, Joe likes to get involved with smaller foundations and volunteering efforts and is a member of the University Club of Orlando.  

When asked what advice he would give to students, Joe said:

 Networking is very important!  Ten years ago the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” rang true.  Today, with social media, it is very easy to connect with just about anyone, so if I could modify that quote, it would be, “it’s not who you know, but rather, it’s who you know that will advocate for you.” In today’s world, connecting with someone is as easy as poking them on Facebook or following them on Twitter.  There are plenty of people on Facebook that have a million friends.  But, out of those millions of “friends," how many of them can you reach out to in order to move forward with an initiative?  How many of those friends can influence you getting hired when you have been downsized?  It isn’t a bad thing to know everyone in the world, but it might serve your professional career better to know a few key individuals that can advocate on your behalf and make an actual impact.