Spotlights

The U.S. Senate has confirmed UNC Charlotte alumna Sandra J. Hairston as United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina, making history with her selection as the first Black woman to serve as the district’s top prosecutor. Hairston earned a bachelor’s degree in English from UNC Charlotte in 1981.

UNC Charlotte alumna Estella Patterson ’96 is the new police chief for the city of Raleigh, N.C., chosen following a competitive national search. Patterson, who graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNC Charlotte and was a member of the Army ROTC, has risen through the ranks with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) over the past 24 years.

UNC Charlotte alumna and former faculty member Brenda Tindal ’04 has been named executive director of Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. She earned bachelor’s degrees in History and Africana Studies with University Honors distinction from UNC Charlotte in 2004 and was a visiting faculty member in the Department of History and the Honors College.

UNC Charlotte faculty member and alumna Dina Massachi has followed a long and winding road to build her extensive knowledge and understanding of L. Frank Baum, author of the enduring classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She is one of the experts chosen to provide insights on Baum in a PBS documentary “American Oz,” which premieres on April 19.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney ’92, the 2020 UNC Charlotte Distinguished Service Award winner, was honored on March 12, 2020 for his strong leadership, listening ear and reputation as a community and relationship builder.

Stephanie Stenglein did not know what a 501c3 was when she started the Master of Public Administration program at UNC Charlotte. Today, she is transforming lives in her role as vice president of institutional advancement for Arts+, and colleagues have yet again honored her for her work.

Jon Venable will cross the stage during Fall 2019 Commencement to accept a bachelor’s degree in geology. This milestone was 20 years in the making, as he left UNC Charlotte in August 1998 just four credit hours shy of finishing. Now, two decades later, he will be the 1,000th former student to return to UNC Charlotte through the 49er Finish Program.

Fulbright Gives Alumnus Opportunity to Grow Community Alumnus Stories build culture by preserving traditions and teaching future generations, UNC Charlotte alumnus Harry Gilliard says. Gilliard’s stories set their first roots in Sandridge, South Carolina, a rural Lowcountry crossroads community. “I arrived in college with little cultural competency,” says Gilliard, a first-generation college student whose roommate […]

Harry Gilliard will take with him a foundational belief in the positive potential of diversity, as he heads to Brazil in 2020 through a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship. Gilliard completed his bachelor’s degree in meteorology in 2011 at UNC Charlotte.

Two College of Liberal Arts & Sciences alumni and one retired academic leader were honored on April 5 at the University Alumni Awards Celebration, which celebrated seven awardees overall.