Justin@JustinVH.com | @JVelezHagan | Wikipedia
Justin Vélez-Hagan (MBA, Ph.D.) is the Managing Director of Macro Policy Advisors, an investor with Solid G Holdings, an adjunct professor at Marymount University, and an author. After founding The National Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce, he became its first executive director and continues to serve as a senior advisor and member of its board. He is the author of The Common Sense behind Basic Economics (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015) and The Paradox of Fiscal Austerity (Lexington Books, 2019).
Dr. Vélez-Hagan has worked with public and private sector organizations to advance policy priorities in sectors ranging from high-technology to telecommunications, energy, pharmaceutical, and retail, while also improving economic development efforts in Puerto Rico. As an advisor, advocate, and frequent guest speaker on these issues, Vélez-Hagan has and continues to work closely with a diverse stakeholder community, including federal, state, and local elected officials, leading advocacy groups, major corporations, and small business and startup communities.
His knowledge of the economic conditions of Puerto Rico, as well as research focus on international fiscal policy, have led national regulators, congressional committees, legal counsel, and administration officials to seek his advice and request testimony and briefings, while he is also frequently invited to provide guest lectures at universities across the country.
His work has been featured in various national publications, including: Forbes, Fox News, Politico, The Hill, CNBC, The Huffington Post, and a wide range of newspapers and academic publications. He has also been a guest on Fox News, BBC World, Fox Business, and NPR, among others.
Previously, Vélez-Hagan served as an adjunct professor of economics in the University System of Maryland, while investing in and building businesses in healthcare and specialized construction products, including D.C. Concrete Technologies, a frequent guest on HGTV’s Curb Appeal and NBC’s House Smarts.
Vélez-Hagan has served on the boards of a number of organizations, such as the Capital Area Asset Builders‘ Board of Directors and the National Military Family Association’s Technology Advisory Board. Previously, he was invited to serve on Maryland’s GOMA Small Business Advisory Council, advised governors in Puerto Rico, and currently volunteers in an organization that seeks to increase the number of veterans holding elected office.
In 2022, he was appointed by the governor of Virginia to serve as a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists.
Vélez-Hagan received a BS in Finance from the University of Louisville, an MBA from Arizona State University, and a Ph.D. in Economic Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
He is a combat veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. A husband and father of three, he has also served as a foster parent during his tenure of residence in Northern Virginia.
Soli Deo Gloria.
