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CLASS NOTES
Class Notes
The Class Notes are compiled by the Division for University Advancement. *Giving society recognition reflects the Feb. 1, 2022 – Sept. 30, 2022 time period.
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1960s
Ellen Dunn Wells ’69, a UNCW Society member, established The Ellen Dunn Wells Scholarship in Education to assist students pursuing a degree offered by the Watson College of Education.
1980s
Matt Wight ’81, ’92M retired from the Wake County Public School System in June 2022. A principal since 1999, he earned WCPSS Principal of the Year in 2008 and was the North Central Region Principal of the Year in 2009.
Ashley McCumber ’84 is president and CEO of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
The RSM Scholarship in Accounting was created by Morris B. Marshburn ’85 and the RSM US Foundation to recognize the long-standing relationship between the donor, RSM and the Cameron School of Business. The scholarship will be used to assist students pursuing a degree offered by the Department of Accountancy and Business Law.
Towana Moore ’85, ’93M is vice president for administration and finance at James Madison University (VA).
Caroline ’85 and Ralph Reda established The Caroline '85 and Ralph Reda Scholarship in Engineering to assist students pursuing degrees offered in Coastal Engineering or Intelligent Systems Engineering.
Board of Trustees member Malcomb Coley ’86, ’89M, a Wilmington Society, UNCW Society and Clocktower Society member, is the central region private leader and Charlotte managing partner for Ernst and Young. He is a member of the Charlotte Business Journal's inaugural Power 100 class.
Todd Yeatts ’87 was named executive vice president of manufacturing advancement by The Institute for Advancing Learning and Research in Danville, VA.
Lloyd Hinnant ’88, a member of the UNCW and Clocktower Societies, was appointed to the UNCW Alumni Board of Directors.
1990s
Edward Davis ’91 was named a 2022 Distinguished Store Director by Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc.
David Smith ’92 was the 2021-22 Teacher of the Year at Hough High School in Cornelius, NC. The award capped his 30th year as a teacher and coach.
Robert Tripp ’92 accepted a position as curriculum coordinator with UNCW's University College.
Lisa Gallagher Esposito ’94 was promoted to director of human resources for CPA.com. Based in New York, CPA.com is a leading developer and distributor of innovative technology solutions for CPAs and businesses.
Donna Chadwick ’95 was named Onslow County School’s Assistant Principal of the Year for 2020-21. She is the principal of Summersill Elementary in Onslow County for 2022-23.
Brock Hochhalter ’95 is area general manager at Marriott International in Santo Domingo. Wanda Coley ’96, a UNCW Society member, was appointed to the UNCW Alumni Board of Directors.
Heather Starck ’96 is executive director of CORAL Reef Alliance, a nonprofit that works at local, regional and global levels to keep coral reefs healthy.
Amy Hardison Tully ’96 was named Texas Christian University’s Teresa Ann Carter King Dean of the College of Fine Arts. Tully is the inaugural holder of the endowed deanship, named in honor of Teresa King, a lifelong supporter of the arts at TCU.
Craig Irwin ’97 is vice president of global sales for PKWARE, an enterprise data protection software company headquartered in Milwaukee, WI.
Sarah Rideout ’97 is the program director of Community Care of the Lower Cape Fear. She is overseeing a Healthy Opportunities pilot project, the nation’s first comprehensive program to test and evaluate the impact of providing evidence-based, non-medical interventions related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety and toxic stress to high-needs Medicaid enrollees.
Jeff Bell ’98 is director of the North Carolina Arts Council. He is the executive director of the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park and Museum and Arts Innovation Coordinator for the city of Wilson, NC.
Travis Humble ’98 was named director of the Quantum Science Center, headquartered at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (TN). The QSC spans industry, academia and government institutions to unlock the full potential of quantum materials, sensors and algorithms.
Cynthia Najdowski ’98 received the American Psychological Association's Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology in the Public Interest. She is an associate professor and director of the social and personality psychology doctoral program at the University at Albany.
Jorge Gomez Tejada ’98 was the April cover story for Forbes Ecuador. The first LGBT CEO of a major Ecuadorian institution, Tejada is president of the University Promotion Corporation, the not-for-profit corporation that created Universidad San Francisco de Quito, where he is a professor.
2000s
Sean Dyer ’00 was promoted to director of health and safety for DeAngelis Diamond Construction, an awardwinning construction management firm headquartered in Naples, FL.
Cameron Pearson ’00 joined Union Home Mortgage in Wilmington as branch manager.
Lisa Wurtzbacher ’00, ’01M is assistant county manager for New Hanover County.
Joshua Little ’02 was named Sales Producer of the Year for Under 65 Products with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina for the third consecutive year and fifth time overall.
Amanda McGann ’02 is pursuing a doctorate in social work at Simmons University in Boston. She graduated with a master's in social work from Hunter College in 2011.
Melissa Singler ’02, ’04M, president of Robeson Community College, was featured in a Trailblazer Profile for EdNC. The features highlight and celebrate the work of Asian, Black, Indigenous and Latin leaders in the North Carolina Community College System.
Stephanie Lanier ’03, ’07M, a Clocktower Society member and past chair of the UNCW Alumni Association, launched a podcast, “The Inspiration Lab.”
Drew Pittman ’03, a member of the UNCW and Clocktower Societies, and Keith Beatty founded the Beatty Pittman Team, a Wilmington real estate agency.
April Query ’03, ’06M, ’17EdD was promoted to assistant vice president of college access and community outreach at the College Foundation of North Carolina, where she has worked for 16 years.
Lolita Bryant ’04, ’11M, a member of the UNCW Society, was recognized as the 2022 UNCW Alumni Association Distinguished Citizen of the Year.
Mandi Campbell ’04 is principal of Kannapolis Middle School in Kannapolis, NC.
Troy Carlton ’04 wrote and directed Birdies, a golf comedy filmed in Wilmington.
Michael Conley ’04 is assistant city manager of Cayce, SC.
Matthew Heald ’04 was appointed to the Board of Visitors by the High Point University Board of Trustees.
Bradley Hutchens ’04 is a dental practice sales specialist with 3M. His territory covers the eastern half of NC.
Andy Almeter ’05, ’09M is president of Wilmington-based human resources consulting firm Leath Consulting Group LLC, parent company of Leath HR Group.
Dana Cronkhite ’05, ’13 was named economic development director for Dickenson County, VA.
Donald Hall ’05 was appointed to the University of North Carolina at Pembroke Board of Visitors.
Anna Kooiman ’05 returned to her hometown of Charlotte, NC, to host a “female-focused” lifestyle show at WCCB and Bahakel Communications. She is the founder of Strong Sexy Mammas, a fitness coaching business.
René Lewis ’05, ’07M was named second year co-director for the Academy for Teaching and Learning Excellence at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Atlas Cheek III ’06 founded Lady Bird Mixer Co., a non-alcoholic sparkling mixer company based in Austin, TX.
Eric Veal ’06 became owner and president of Interactive Knowledge Inc., a Charlotte-based digital firm focused on web development, content strategy, visual design and social media management.
Crystal Howard ’07M, ’15Ed.D. is principal of White Oak Elementary School in Cape Carteret, NC.
Haleigh Beyer Hughes ’07 was named events manager at Apiture, a Wilmington-based fintech firm that supports financial institutions across the nation.
Amanda Knauff ’07 was selected to be a part of this year's WILMA Leadership Institute and opened a new physical therapy practice in Hampstead, NC.
Jennifer Beninate ’08, ’14M, a third-grade teacher at Four Oaks Elementary, was named the 2022 Johnston County Teacher of the Year.
Rachel Davis ’08, ’13M purchased Advance Mechanical Inc. Heating and Air, an HVAC contractor in Pitt County, NC.
Miriam Parker ’08M, a member of the UNCW and Clocktower Societies, published Room and Board (Penguin, 2022), a novel about unexpected second chances. The book follows a high-powered publicist who, after the sudden implosion of her career, takes a job as a dorm mom at a Sonoma boarding school, her alma mater.
Amelia Morris ’09M was recognized for her novel Wildcat (Flatiron Books, 2022), about mean girls and motherhood in the Instagram age.
Hannah Bunn West ’09 published her latest book Remarkable Women of the Outer Banks (The History Press, 2022). The book shines the spotlight on seven littleknown, impactful women in the history of the Outer Banks, from the arrival of the first Europeans to the recent past.
Nicole Yatsonsky ’09 was accepted into UNCW’s MFA in creative writing program.
2010s
Matthew Powell ’10 is a member of the Wor-Wic Community College Foundation Board of Directors. The college is located in Salisbury, MD.
Michael Powell ’10 and his business partners opened two new locations of Drift Coffee and Kitchen (downtown Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach). The group hopes to open more locations in North Carolina and along the coast.
Daniel Bowling ’11, a doctoral student at NC State University, will study oyster habitats over the next two years as a Margaret A. Davidson Fellow recipient at the North Carolina Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve. The fellowship provides funding to graduate students to conduct estuarine research within one of the 30 reserves in the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System.
Nicholas Corak ’11 received the North Carolina Space Grant and North Carolina Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellowship. Through partnerships with coastal agencies, including The Nature Conservancy and the Audubon Society, he will identify coastal study sites where prescribed burns occur regularly. Using satellite remote sensing from NASA and on-site measurements, he will record the growth stages and recovery of vegetation before and after prescribed fires in coastal North Carolina.
Lindsay Wright Garcia ’11 joined the Blowing Rock Tourism Development Authority as a content manager. She focuses on promoting local activities, businesses and mountain lifestyle through various platforms.
Lauren Henderson ’12M is director of finance and administration for the Good Sheperd Center in Wilmington, NC.
Cristobal Montero ’12, ’16M, a member of the Clocktower Society, received the 2022 UNCW Alumni Association Distinguished Diversity Award.
Caitlin Northcutt ’12, ’14M was named a 2022 Association for Psychological Science Rising Star, which recognizes the innovative work of members in the early stages of their post-Ph.D. careers.
Kayla Anderson ’13, ’17M, a third-grade teacher at Meadow View Elementary School in Onslow County, was named Teacher of the Year.
Ashley Beavis ’13 earned a Ph.D. in infectious diseases from the University of Georgia.
Sarah Marriott ’13, ’15M was a finalist for the highly competitive 2023 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship Program, which gives professional-level students hands-on experiences transferring science to policy and management through one-year appointments with federal government offices in Washington, D.C. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Jamin Stover ’13 accepted the position of afloat recreation specialist with the U.S. Navy.
Peter Baker ’14M released his first novel, Planes (Knopf, 2022).
Michael Bracy ’14Ed.D. is serving as interim superintendent of Pender County Schools.
Anna Chastain ’14 is ranked among the top 10 ultimate frisbee players worldwide. She was a member of the mixed men’s and women's Team USA in the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, AL.
Lilia Aghzafi ’15, ’16, ’21M was hired as the executive coordinator for Florida-based Keepin' It Real Entertainment, LLC.
Nicole Bravo ’15 is a clinical trial administrator with PSI CRO, a pharmaceutical company in Durham County, NC.
Michelle Either ’15M is the Atlantic Beach planning director.
D'Aja Fulmore ’15 signed a major film deal with Homestead Entertainment, a global distribution company with offices in Los Angeles and New York.
Dina Greenberg ’15M published her debut novel, Nermina's Chance (Atmosphere Press, 2022), about Bosnian women and trauma from war.
Jason Hess ’15M, a children’s librarian with Forsyth County Public Library in Winston Salem, was profiled by WHQR’s “Where Are They Now?” feature.
Carynne Jarrell ’15, a member of the Clocktower Society, graduated from The Ohio State University's John Glenn College of Public Affairs with a Master of Public Administration degree.
Alicia Mills ’15 is assistant director of career development at Elon University School of Law.
Riley Stephenson ’15, who serves on the UNCW Alumni Board of Directors and is a member of the UNCW and Clocktower Societies, works with the Decision Point Wealth Consulting team at UBS Financial Services Inc., Wilmington. He received his CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Samantha Taylor ’15 joined Tonkin Torp Litigation Department, a law firm in Portland, OR.
Samantha Athey ’16, ’18M was the founding president of the UNCW Plastic Ocean Project student chapter in 2015. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Toronto and was recently hired as scientific education and outreach coordinator for POP.
Colby Sawyer ’17, ’20M was named public information officer/emergency management coordinator for the town of Pittsboro, NC.
Rachel ’14 and Giovanni Ellzey ’16 opened a second location of Social Coffee and Supply Co. in Wilmington (see story p. 28).
Christopher Jelley ’16 joined Monumental Sports and Entertainment as a graphic designer for the Washington Capitals and Wizards after working with the Charlotte Hornets for more than six years.
Peyton Derrow ’17 joined Cranfill Sumner LLP's Wilmington office as an associate attorney. He focuses on civil litigation with an emphasis on admiralty and maritime law and construction law.
Myles Dillard ’17 received a master’s from NC State in May and works for the school's athletic department as an assistant academic coordinator.
Haley Haynes ’17 graduated from Campbell University law school in May 2021 and was commissioned as a JAG officer in the United States Army in January 2022.
Sabrina Steigelman ’17M was listed in the Fayetteville Observer’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022.
Angela Thomas ’17M earned a Ph.D. in Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University.
Kinza Kirkman ’18 and Mallory Knight joined forces as artists and mothers to form a business dedicated to encouraging artistic expression.
Chris Ladner ’18M was promoted to CFO at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage.
Arely Ramirez Diaz ’19 was recognized with the 2022 UNCW Alumni Association Distinguished Young Alumna of the Year award.
2020s
Shareeka Brunson ’20M was listed in the Fayetteville Observer's 40 Under 40 Class of 2022.
Bailey Donahue ’20, ’21M was featured in an article on Children of Fallen Patriots, a nonprofit organization that provides financial and educational support to military children who have lost a parent in the line of duty in their college years.
Grey Oakes ’20 released his first album, Introvert, inspired by his drives back and forth from the Triad to UNCW.
Julia Singer ’20 was the May 2022 commencement speaker at American University's School of Public Affairs ceremony.
Jenn Slade ’20 is a manual therapist and owner of Three Waves Bodywork in Wilmington. She helps her clients understand the importance of fascia, a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place.
Audrey Harding ’21 was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year.
Riley Lewis ’21M was appointed as White Oak Waterkeeper by the Coastal Carolina Riverwatch Board of Directors.
Karly Lohan ’21M was a guest speaker for the Enrichment Lecture Series at the St. James Community Center. She presented “Offshore Wind in North Carolina,” providing a brief history of offshore wind and detailing the status of current wind generation projects off the shores of North Carolina, which are expected to grow in the coming years.
David Reese ’21, ’22M is a social worker with the Jacksonville Police Department.
Alma Sherwin ’21 welcomed a baby girl to her family in the spring of 2021.
Logan Thomas ’21 is the new owner of the 24/7 on-water boat towing and assistance company, TowBoatUS Lake Wylie. Thomas, who is also a credentialed boat surveyor and a Chapman School of Seamanship alumnus, was formerly a hired captain for the towing service.
Allison Browning ’22 is economic development coordinator for the town of Newport, NH.
Zach Kilby ’22 joined The Brunswick Beacon as staff writer and photographer.
Charity Moorhous ’22M is Wilmington’s first social worker in veterinary medicine to graduate from UNCW.
Jaylen Sims ’22 signed a training camp contract with Charlotte Hornets.
In Memoriam
Alumni
George D. Greene ’55
Kenneth H. Bishop ’57
P. Alex Robbins ’57
Elwood E. Sanders Sr. ’57
Thomas L. Bancroft ’58
Walter T. Stephenson ’61
Isabell L. Foushee ’62
Benny E. Malpass ’62
A. Lawrence Cheek III ’63
Barbara B. Dannaher ’65
Lenwood M. King Jr. ’69
Thomas H. Walton ’70
Brenda R. Best ’71
Mary M. Southerland ’71
Christopher P. Speciale ’71
Johnny L. McGee ’72
William M. Mansfield Jr. ’73
Gregory A. Willett ’73
Bruce R. Failing ’74
Catherine R. Heglar ’74, ’91M
David E. Bellamy ’75
William A. Jackson ’75
R. Leigh Tabor ’76
James M. Deaton III ’77
Sylvia M. Elkins ’77
Thomas L. Massingale ’77
Kevin G. Walker ’77
Greta A. Lint ’79
Edwin L. Finch ’80
Theodore J. Kort ’80
Donald C. Long ’80
Larry W. Williamson ’80
Thomas O. Rhyne ’81
Valerie N. Watkins ’81
Steven D. Hopp ’82
Hannah F. Ungaro ’82
Ellen C. Brown ’83
Margaret C. Ciardella ’84
Kay M. Bowman ’85
Judith L. Clark ’85
Karen B. Ferguson ’85
Constance M. Williams ’85
Donna B. Lindquist ’88M
Douglas A. Schulz ’88
Jane E. Brown ’89
Margaret E. Shoulars-Bass ’89
Joseph F. Jarman ’90
Joan M. Lynch ’90
George A. Katabian ’91
Steven D. Parker ’91
Kelly G. Petrill ’91M
Edward Heyworth ’92
Mary R. Pyland ’93
Betty D. Murrell ’97
Daniel A. Brisson ’98
Casey E. Skudin ’00
Billy R. Wingard Jr. ’00
Jeremy S. Simpson ’01
James H. Van Dis ’01
Wade H. Plummer ’02
Joshua D. McCall ’03
David S. Mickey ’03M
Miranda J. A. West ’03
Howard L. Johnson ’04
Erica C. Ransom ’05
Dean R. Ab-Hugh ’06M
James T. Alvey III ’10
Nelyssa L. Crews ’10
Ryan B. Heffernan ’10
Stephanie A. M. Fulcher ’12
Jennifer L. Riedel ’12
Victoria A. Koller ’14, ’15
Alison M. Maultsby-McKusick ’14
William Edd Jr. ’15
Kathryn D. Meyers ’17M
Alexandra F. Gillikin ’18
Brittany M. Hammond ’18M
Sherri M. Guinn ’21
Kaylah W. Russ ’21
Irving E. Fogler (non-degree)
Howard Lashon Coleman II ’25
Friends
Annette C. Anderson
Jean E. Bridger
Doris C. Briley
Grace M. Burton
Maurice M. Martinez – see page 36
Thomas G. McMillan
James P. McNab – see page 35
W. Carter Mebane III
Betty J. O'Steen
Virginia F. Ono
Jeryl W. Peebles
George F. Syles
Ronald “Ron” Whittaker
Maurice M. Martinez June 20, 1934 - September 12, 2022
Maurice M. Martinez Jr., UNCW professor emeritus, poet, musician, writer and documentary filmmaker, passed away on Sept. 12, 2022 at 88. He was born in New Orleans to Mildred and Maurice Martinez Sr., founders of the Martinez Kindergarten School in the 7th Ward, the first for Black children in Louisiana. Wynton Marsalis, Sidney Barthelemy and Andrew Young are among its former students.
He earned a bachelor’s from Xavier University of Louisiana, a master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. He taught for 51 years – eight in New Orleans at J. S. Clark and Carver Senior High School, 24 at Hunter College and 19 at UNCW – before retiring. Maurice left his mark on Wilmington’s cultural scene, organizing and participating in poetry readings on campus and around town. He hosted “North Carolina Blue Notes,” a 15-part series on National Public Radio about jazz, blues and R&B musicians born in North Carolina. He took second place at Wilmington's North Carolina Black Film Festival for “The Piano Entertainer: Stompin’ Grenoldo Frazier,” a documentary about the late Wilmington music legend. His 1976 film “The Black Indians of New Orleans,” based on a book he authored, screened internationally. Spike Lee used footage from the documentary in his 2006 film, “When the Levees Broke.”
Survivors include his wife of nearly 50 years Marjorie Lu Martinez, sons Maurice Miles Martinez and Torin Joseph Martinez, sister Josepha Weston and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Donations in his memory may be made to the Dr. Maurice M. Martinez Music Scholarship Fund at the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, 1901 Bartholomew Street, New Orleans, LA 70117 or online at ellismarsaliscenter.org/donate.
James Potter McNab 1940-2022
James McNab, who served UNCW in many capacities, passed away in 2022. During his tenure from 1989-2006, he chaired the Foreign Languages Department and served as the assistant provost for international programs in addition to teaching classes in French.
A native of Scotland, he received an honors degree in languages (German and French) from the University of Edinburgh, becoming the first member of his family to earn a university degree. After graduation from Edinburgh, he taught at the University of Nice. Afterward, he accepted a one-year appointment at Virginia Tech and traveled to America for the first time. He then enrolled in a three-year Ph.D. program in French with a German minor at Duke University.
He returned to VT in 1971 and in 1975 became the head of its foreign language department. Three years later, he accepted an offer from Guilford College to chair its foreign language department. He served as review editor for French Review, the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of French, head of the Foreign Language Association of North Carolina and the North Carolina Association of Teachers of French and lectured internationally. He leaves behind his wife of 58 years Babette, sons Alec and Julien and five grandchildren.
