News & Stories
In other news: April 2026
Thought leaders
- Zoey Kernodle, director of the UNC Center for the Business of Health, and Joshua Barrett, associate director of research, published an article in JAMA Health Forum highlighting how federal policy prioritizes short-term nurse recruitment over investment in faculty.
Professor Brad Hendricks presents research.
- Professor Brad Hendricks presented research, co-authored with Professor Eva Labro, to the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the Private Company Council during a publicly streamed meeting attended by major accounting firms and international standard setters. The presentation provided new evidence on how private firms make financial reporting decisions and was covered by Thomson Reuters.
- Professor Rajdeep Grewal was announced as a senior editor at Information Systems Research, a peer-reviewed journal in the information systems discipline. The journal recently launched a new editorial initiative focused on the intersection of information systems and marketing.
- Professor Melissa Geil was awarded a $15,000 grant from the Association for Business Communication’s Rogers and Anderson Research Fund. Geil and her colleagues will use the grant to examine how autistic business majors experience structured collegiate recruiting processes.
Standout students and alumni
- The Deloitte Foundation awarded a $25,000 Doctoral Fellowship to Jaeho Yoo (PhD ’28). The awards are intended to strengthen the pipeline of accounting faculty by supporting PhD candidates who plan to pursue academic careers. “Receiving this fellowship is a testament to Jaeho’s remarkable research skills,” Stephen Glaeser, associate professor of accounting and associate dean of the PhD Program, said.
- Saharsh Davuluri (MBA ’07) was promoted to CEO and managing director at Neuland Laboratories Limited. He will lead the company’s overall strategic direction and operations, building on his prior leadership as vice chairman and managing director.
- Gary LeClair Jr. (MBA ’21) joined Dominion Realty Partners as the vice president of development.
- The Atlanta Falcons named Steven Drummond (MBA ’24) senior vice president of communications. He joins the Falcons after serving as the deputy athletic director and chief marketing officer at the University of Georgia Athletic Association.
- Lee Coker (MBA ’02) was named vice president of corporate development and investor relations at Trex Company, a manufacturer of composite decking, residential railing and other outdoor items made from recycled materials.
- Brad Thompson (MBA ’13) was added as a financial advisor at Pinnacle Financial Partners.
- George Felix (MBA ’09) was promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Brinker International, overseeing brand strategy for Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy.
- Hubert Paul (MBA ’14) was hired as a partner at Simon-Kucher in its consumer sector. This marks Paul’s return to the company, where he will provide client service and delivery to a range of retail industries and drive initiatives such as AI adoption.
Spotted on social
The EATS2SEATS team cuts a ribbon in front of The PITCH.
- EATS2SEATS, founded by Mary Laci Motley (BSBA ’21), opened their new headquarters at The PITCH in Chapel Hill. The company started as a school project at UNC Kenan-Flagler and now spans nationwide with over 45,000 employees.
- Professor Carri Reisdorf hosted Ashlyn Jester (BS ’21) as a guest speaker in her retail classes. Jester shared her journey from Carolina to her role as a digital merchant at Lowe’s Companies, giving students a behind-the-scenes look at merchandising.
- Raj Merchant (MBA ’20) spoke on a panel about data, AI and decision making during UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Impact Weekend. “The leaders who will thrive in this next chapter are the ones who use the time AI frees up to ask better questions, challenge assumptions and apply stronger human judgment,” Merchant said on LinkedIn.
Raj Merchant (MBA ’20) speaks at Impact Weekend.