Meet the WTC Denver Staff
James F. Reis, President and CEO
Jim Reis was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the World Trade Center Denver on October 1, 1990. Prior to joining the World Trade Center, Mr. Reis had a 26-year career in business as an executive with the Johns Manville Corporation headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Reis served as President of the Colorado Host Committee for the Western Hemisphere Trade Ministerial & Commerce Forum held in Denver in 1995, was a member of the host committee for the 1997 Denver G8 Summit and served as co-chair with Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb for the 2001 trade mission to China to open the City of Denver's Trade Office in Shanghai. He is a member and past Chairman of the Rocky Mountain District Export Council.
Mr. Reis has a B.A. from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and also attended the Executive Development Program at the Johnson School at Cornell University. He resides in the City of Centennial, Colorado with his wife Maureen and serves on a number of community boards and advisory boards.
Justin Szymik, Director of Education
Justin Szymik is the Director of Education for the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute. He is in charge of the management and development of the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute's international business skills training program, special projects and research requests. The Institute was founded in cooperation with the Metropolitan State College of Denver and provides international education programs and current trade information to the international business community.
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Mr. Szymik served four years of active duty in the U.S. Navy before completing his B.A. in psychology and M.A. in Liberal Studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He has traveled to over 40 countries and lived in Thailand and Cambodia where he worked as the Program Director for an international tour company.
Rachel Baertlein, Program Coordinator
Rachel Baertlein joined the WTC Denver team as Program Coordinator after completing her internship with the organization in 2009. She is responsible for overseeing Programs and Events sponsored by the World Trade Center as well as focusing on Membership retention and satisfaction.
Rachel graduated with a B.S. in International Business from the University of Colorado. Prior to her studies, she lived in Belize and the Philippines as a teacher in rural villages.
