News & Stories
In other news: September 2024
Thought leaders
- Professor Greg Hohn’s (BA ’85) unique improv course was featured in the Carolina Alumni Review.
- Professor J.B. Steenkamp’s book “Warrior, Queen, Scientist, Activist: Gritty Women Who Bent the Arc of History,” was awarded a bronze medal in the history category by the Global Book Awards. Steenkamp also received the Thorelli Award for his 2019 article “Global Versus Local Consumer Culture: Theory, Measurement, and Future Research Direction at the American Marketing Association’s Summer Educations Conference. The award honors an article published in the Journal of International Marketing over the past five years or longer that has made a significant and long-term contribution to the practice or theory of international marketing.
- Professor Tim Kundro received a best article honor from the Academy of Management Studies for co-authoring “Does Power Protect Female Moral Objectors?” The academy also honored Professor Jessica Christian with a best reviewer award and Professor Jeffrey Edwards (BA ’81) with the best conference paper in research methods division award.
- Professor Sekou Bermiss was quoted in a News & Observer story on major N.C. companies relaxing the mandatory retirement ages for CEOs and board directors.
- NCGrowth’s Darlene Deberry and Jessamyn Tracy shared “Lessons on Small Business Resilience from the Global Pandemic” as part of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise’s series on business resilience. Deberry is NCGrowth’s economic development manager, and Tracy is the program liaison to the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.
- Professor Alison Fragale was a guest on Al Dea’s (MBA ’15) podcast “The Edge of Work” to discuss her new book “Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve.” Listen here.
- Professor Markus Saba (MBA ’93) and Austin Allen (MBA/MD ’24) co-authored a review of the role of prior authorization in healthcare and potential future reforms published in Health Management, Policy and Innovation.
- NCGrowth Assistant Director of Engagement Nicole Outlaw received the East Carolina Council’s inaugural Distinguished Citizen Award for Bertie County. She is the founder and president of the Bertie Business Network.
Talking about the future of healthcare
Registration is now open for the 2024 UNC Business of Healthcare Conference on Nov. 8. Hosted by the UNC Center for the Business of Health, its theme is the strategic healthcare workforce of the future.
It will feature discussions among industry professionals, healthcare leaders, policymakers, alumni and students on everything from the AI-integrated future of the healthcare industry and the impact of health system consolidation on its workforce to the importance of non-clinical personnel in the face of growing organizational complexity. Click here for more information and a full agenda.
Standout students and alumni
- Meredith Weiss (PhD ’10, MAC ’22) was appointed senior vice president for finance and administration and CFO at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. She had served in the role in an interim capacity since January 2024 and was UNC-Chapel Hill’s senior associate vice president of finance and administration from 2014 to 2016.
- Jason Perocho (MBA ’15) shared insight into how artificial intelligence is reshaping the relationship between brands and customers though data-driven personalization. Perocho is a senior vice president and head of marketing at software developer Amperity.
- Charlotte Hoopes (PhD ’18) joined the faculty of Washington and Lee University as an assistant professor of business administration.
- Edwin Beale (MBA ’07) was named CCO of cell therapy contract development and manufacturing organization at Cellipont Bioservices. He previously served as senior vice president of business development and licensing at iVexSol.
- Chad Groves (MBA ’19) was named president and CEO of Seaboard Foods. He joined Seaboard Foods in 2021 as senior vice president of global sales, marketing and innovation.
- Michael Sparks (MBA ’21) was appointed CFO of SSR Mining. He had served as its executive vice president and chief legal and administrative officer since 2020.
- Saji Rajasekharan (MBA ’16) was appointed chief technology officer of healthcare records software company Experity. He most recently served as chief technology officer for Clearwave Corporation.
- An article in Nature co-written by Herrison Chicas (PhD ’24) shares his experience navigating the academic job market with his co-authors as friends and not foes. He is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business.
“Guanajuato’s Blue Hour Charm,” by Zheyu Huang
Picture it
It was a sight Zheyu Huang (BSBA ’23, BS ’23) couldn’t ignore. At 4:30 a.m. from his hotel room in Guanajuato, Mexico, Huang captured the serene landscape in his photo “Guanajuato’s Blue Hour Charm” during a one-night layover on his way home to China. It’s now a finalist in the 2024 Carolina Global Photography Competition.
In 2022, Huang’s photograph “Under the Waterfall,” taken while on vacation in Iceland, won second place in the competition. Now working toward a master’s degree in computer science at Brown University, he participated in a Global Immersion Elective in Singapore while at UNC Kenan-Flagler and after the experience reflected on getting to know locals who introduced him to the local cuisine.
“I think [the photography competition] serves as a catalyst for opening students up to the world and to global experiences like it had done for me,” he told UNC Global Affairs.
Steven D. Bell Hall rendering
Spotted on social
- It’s all coming together. Here’s the latest update on the construction of Steven D. Bell Hall, the progress made this summer and the latest concept art for the new addition to the UNC Kenan-Flagler campus.
- A team building day in Principles of Marketing meant a scavenger hunt around the Business School campus, Professor Claudia Malhotra shared on LinkedIn.
- Another semester, another egg drop. Each year, students in Design Thinking and Product Development taught by Professor Barry Bayus design and build mechanisms for an egg to hopefully survive a one-story drop inside the McColl Building. This year, there was one survivor, according to Bayus.
- Eli Dykes (BSBA ’26) shared a memorable experience meeting former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl (BSBA ’57), the namesake of the McColl Building and “the man who built Charlotte.” “I got the opportunity to ask Mr. McColl two questions regarding both his personal and professional life which provided significant insight into business and leadership,” Dykes shared on LinkedIn. “What do you see as being the biggest industry disruptors in the next 20 years and how can current business leaders stay ahead of the curve?” Read McColl’s answers here.
- Dawn Turner (MBA ’24), Tepper Sports and Entertainment director of brand and consumer marketing, celebrated turning in her final assignment as a member of the inaugural class of the Charlotte Executive MBA Program. “Getting my MBA is something I’ve always wanted to do, and although I got a later start in life than most, it was worth the wait to be part of the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Family,” she shared on LinkedIn. “Next up…graduation Oct. 26!”
- The Master of Accounting Program ushered in the new semester with its Meet the Firms event, offering students the chance to connect with employers looking to hire new accountants.
We’re now on TikTok! Follow us at tiktok.com/@kenanflagler.
To submit news items to be considered for “In other news,” email jordan.bartel@kenan-flagler.unc.edu