Knoxville Chapter October Meeting

Justin is a Principal Broker at Avison Young, Knoxville, specializing in office and retail transactions with experience representing both landlords and tenants. His current portfolio encompasses more than 1.1 million square feet of commercial space.

A Knoxville native, Justin began his career with Commercial & Investment Properties handling the leasing and marketing of the companies’ buildings. This includes Knoxville landmarks such as Century Park at Pellissippi, The Atrium, and Two Centre Square. As a founding principal of Cushman & Wakefield | Cornerstone’s Knoxville office in 2011, Justin worked with the firm’s other partners to develop the only full-service commercial real estate firm in the region. The company transitioned to Avison Young in 2015.

Justin graduated from Auburn University of 1996. He has achieved both his CCIM and his SIOR designations and was selected as the Knoxville Business Journal / CCOM Broker of the Year in 2013.

Lisa Bellar is a Senior Contract Audit Review Specialist in the Tennessee Comptroller's division of Local Government Audit. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a member of the division's contract audit review team. In her role she performs technical reviews of audited financial statements for Tennessee's local governments and certain not-for-profit agencies and assists in the review of audit working papers.

Lisa first joined the Comptroller's Office with the division of State Audit after graduating from Austin Peay State University where she majored in accounting and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. After moving out-of-state, she held accounting positions at a university, equipment rental company, and tile manufacturing company. She returned to the Comptroller's Office in 2005 and has 22 years of service with the Comptroller's Office.

Jean is the contract audit review manager with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Local Government Audit. She is responsible for the contract audit review process of more than 1,700 entities including municipalities, county-related entities, utility districts, public housing authorities, internal school funds, charter schools, quasi-governments and certain nonprofit and for-profit entities. Her daily responsibilities include providing technical assistance to CPA firms and local government officials regarding accounting and auditing issues, as well as related laws, regulations, and other compliance requirements.

Jean graduated from Seoul National University with a B.S. degree in Horticulture and studied accounting at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and the Tennessee Technological University. She is a member of AGA, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Jean is a graduate of Lead Tennessee, the Tennessee Government Management Institute, and the Tennessee Government Executive Institute.

Richard W. Hill is a shareholder and managing director at Mitchell Emert & Hill, P.C. in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he leads audit engagements for not-for-profits and local governments. A seasoned peer reviewer since 1992, he reviews about 35 CPA firms annually. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Society of CPAs and was elected Treasurer in 2024. Richard is also involved in an initiative with the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) to evaluate accounting programs nationwide and ensure they are preparing future CPAs. Outside of work, he and his wife Deanna are avid Green Bay Packers fans, enjoy traveling and cruising in their 1971 Buick Riviera.