Spotlights

Alumna Amy Kennemore – who faculty recall as a rising star – is one of 21 Charlotte Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellows for 2018; this honor is presented by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. 

South Point High School English teacher Bobbie Cavnar describes teaching as 25 percent preparation and 75 percent pure theater.  Lately, the UNC Charlotte alumnus has taken his place on the national stage, sharing his views of teaching, the humanities, the arts and issues confronting the nation’s schools.

Three UNC Charlotte alumni with majors or minors in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences were among the alumni, faculty and university friends that the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association recognized at the 2018 Alumni Awards celebration at the Hilton Charlotte Center City on April 20, 2018.

UNC Charlotte alumna Tracy Dodson recently was named assistant city manager for economic development by City Manager Marcus Jones. Dodson earned bachelor’s degrees in architecture and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She also holds a Master of Design Studies degree in Real Estate and Urban Development from Harvard University.

Two College of Liberal Arts & Sciences students have received the first Harper-Thomas Legacy Endowment for Study Abroad awards, presented at an event at the Levine Museum of the New South hosted by the UNC Charlotte Black Alumni Chapter. The Harper-Thomas Legacy Endowment for Study Abroad honors College of Liberal Arts & Sciences emeritus professors Mary Harper and Herman Thomas and is a scholarship of the College.

UNC Charlotte’s Bank of America Alumni Network in December honored three distinguished individuals, including CLAS alumni, for their professional and community service achievements.

The Charlotte Museum of History has named UNC Charlotte alumna Adria Focht as its new president and CEO, effective Nov. 27. Focht comes to the museum from the Kings Mountain Historical Museum, where she was director and curator.

Two UNC Charlotte alumni from the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are among Charlotte Agenda’s 2017 class of “30 Under 30.” These individuals are “young people who are leaving their marks on the city like never before,” according to Charlotte Agenda. Ashley Pittman Bookout (’11) is owner and founder of Bookout Blooms. Ash Williams (’15, ’16) is a local community organizer.

Creating a scholarship is something Nan Wilson Wilkenfeld ‘14G has wanted to do for years. Scholarships helped her pay for her education, giving her access to new experiences, including traveling to a national conference as a graduate student. Thanks to her perseverance and generosity, the Nan Wilson Wilkenfeld Communication Studies Graduate Travel Scholarship was created in 2017.

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences alumna Tisha Greene, principal of the Oakhurst STEAM Academy, has received the 2017 Outstanding Administrator Award from the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center. Greene received a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in English education from UNC Charlotte.