Cleveland Justis

An accomplished organizational leader for the past 20 years, Cleveland Justis teaches Social Entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. He is also principal at the Potrero Group where he has developed a robust consulting practice in innovation, organizational development and entrepreneurship. Formerly, Cleveland was executive director of UC Davis’ Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship where we he taught thousands about the process of commercialization and innovation. A noted expert on entrepreneurship, Cleveland has worked and consulted widely with companies, nonprofits, and governmental organizations.

Cleveland has held faculty positions at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, UC Davis Graduate School of Management, Georgetown University, and Dominican University. Cleveland has organized many conferences and programs and is a sought-after keynote speaker, having served in a keynote role at Net Impact, the Ahwahnee Conference, the Environmental Forum, and the Agricultural Institute of Marin.

Cleveland has served in executive-level positions with the University of California, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, Headlands Institute of NatureBridge. Cleveland currently serves on the board of the Marin Community Foundation ($1.5 billion in assets). He formerly served on the board of directors of Net Impact, an organization with a global network of more than 15,000 leaders who are changing the world through business, and as a commissioner of the Marin County Parks and Open Space Commission.

Cleveland studied biology and environmental sciences at Swarthmore College and the University of California at Berkeley. He received his MBA in strategic management and finance at the University of California, Davis Graduate School of Management, and is pursuing his PhD in entrepreneurship at UC Davis. Cleveland’s research interests include public/private partnerships, entrepreneurship, network analysis, and innovation.