Spring campus scene near South Building on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. March 25, 2025.

Spring campus scene near South Building on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. March 25, 2025. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Morehead-Cain Alumni landed new jobs, received accolades, stepped into new seasons of life, and more. Here’s who made a move this spring.

 

  • John (Buddy) Wester ’68 of Robinson Bradshaw received the 2025 Ayscue Professionalism Award from the Mecklenburg Bar Foundation in March. The award honors attorneys who exemplify high ethical standards, model conduct, unquestioned integrity, and consistent competence. 
  • Francis Collins ’77 retired from the National Institutes of Health after more than three decades of service, including 12 years as director. 
  • Frank Dowd ’78 was honored this past fall with the William Richardson Davie Award, the highest honor bestowed by the UNC Board of Trustees. 
  • Bill Bamberger ’79 exhibited his work at the Underground Gallery at Durham School of the Arts, with a reception held on May 30. The decades-long portrait series, built in collaboration with DSA students, explores the experiences of male-identifying students through striking photographs and recorded audio interviews. 
  • Ron Boatwright ’81 published Marvis H Neptune and the Light Across the Water, a conclusion to his “Sailor’s Guide” series. 
  • Barbara Rosser Hyde ’83 joined the Morehead-Cain Foundation Board of Trustees in January. The alumna is chair and chief executive officer of the Hyde Family Foundation, an organization that invests in educational initiatives, community development, civic engagement, and the arts in Memphis, Tennessee.    
  • Sallie Krawcheck ’87 stepped down as chief executive officer of Ellevest after eight years leading the women-focused investment platform. 
  • James Dean ’89 released a new five-part show, The Stolen Girl, airing weekly on Freeform and Hulu. The thriller was shot in Manchester, England, and Toulon in the South of France. Uredo Agada ’26 interned on the production. 
  • Becky Galli ’90 published her second book, Morning Fuel—daily inspirations to stretch your mind before starting your day. 
  • Jim Tanner ’90 was named general manager of Carolina Basketball under head coach Hubert Davis. 
  • Mike Morton ’94, a former Tar Heel linebacker, made history at Super Bowl LIX as the first person to both win a Super Bowl as a player and officiate one. After a seven-year NFL career, including a championship with the St. Louis Rams, Mike pursued dentistry at and beyond Carolina and later returned to the game as an official. He represented the Morehead-Cain community at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9. 
  • Locke Karriker ’95 was installed as president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians during its March 4 annual meeting in San Francisco. 
  • Margaret (Molly) McNairy ’00 has been named chief of the Division of General Medicine & Geriatrics as well as the Division of Hospital Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. She will begin the role in October.  
  • David Jernigan ’00 is stepping down from his five-year tenure as president and chief executive officerof the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. 
  • Jamie Dement Holcomb ’01 led Kidzu Children’s Museum through a renaming to the North Carolina Children’s Museum and the opening of a new makerspace in Boxyard RTP in the Research Triangle. 
  • Will Aiken ’03 will join the UNC–Chapel Hill Board of Visitors this July. 
  • Charles Battle ’03 joined Koalafi, a lease-to-own financing platform, as chief product and technology officer. 
  • Dr. Amir Barzin ’06 was appointed chief operating officer of UNC Health Physicians in April in April. 
  • Christy Page ’06 was named interim chief executive officerof UNC Health following former chief executive officer Wesley Burks’ retirement. 
  • Antonio McBroom ’08, the youngest franchisee in Ben & Jerry’s history, published the book Selfish Servant in March. The alumnus shares his service-based framework for leadership.  
  • Mipso, a string quartet comprising Joseph Terrell ’13 (guitar, vocals), Jacob Sharp ’13 (mandolin, vocals), Libby Rodenbough ’14 (fiddle, vocals), and Wood Robinson, UNC Chapel Hill ’13 (bass, vocals), announced an indefinite hiatus in May 2025. The band, formed in Chapel Hill around 2012, will conclude with a “Farewell For Now” tour ending in October. 
  • Neel Patel ’15 joined REGO Restaurant Group as chief executive officer to lead the next phase of growth for Quiznos, the iconic quick-service sandwich chain, and Taco del Mar, a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in coastal Mexican cuisine. 
  • Sally Kuehn ’21 set a Guinness World Record for “fastest marathon dressed as a crustacean” while competing in the 2025 London Marathon. 
  • Jasper Schutt ’25 is studying at Beijing’s Tsinghua University as one of Carolina’s three Schwarzman scholarship recipients. 

Published Date

June 4, 2025

Categories

Alumni Authors, Awards and Honors, Black Alumni, Education, Entrepreneurship and Startups, Environment and Sustainability, Law, Morehead-Cain Foundation, Nonprofit, Public Policy and Public Service, Tech, Women Alumni, Young Alumni

Article Type

Alumni Stories, News