News & Stories
In other news: August 2025
MBA teaching all-stars
UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Full-Time MBA Program recognized faculty members for their performance over the past academic year. The teaching all-star recipients are in the top 20% of instructors (across core and elective courses, respectively) based on course evaluations.
For core courses, the program celebrated Professors John Gallemore, Kristopher Keller, Mark Lang, Nur Sunar and Judy Tisdale. For elective courses, the program celebrated Professors Sreedhari Desai, Vinayak Deshpande, Greg Hohn, Ingrid Koch, Wayne Landsman, Edward Maydew, Adam Mersereau, Atul Nerkar, Matthew Pearsall, Daniel Ringel, Albert Segars and Anil Shivdasani.
Thought leaders
Hartzell records the podcast episode across a table with its host, Matthew Lutz.
- David Hartzell, Steven D. Bell and Leonard W. Wood Distinguished Professor and director of the Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies, was featured on The Deal Ranch Podcast. The conversation included a discussion of the KFBSF Real Estate Funds, which are among the select few student-managed real estate funds in the U.S.
- Professor Eva Labro was appointed departmental editor for the POM-Accounting Interface at Production and Operations Management. She has served as a senior editor since 2013 and received the Best Senior Editor Award in 2018 and 2025.
- The marketing area at UNC Kenan-Flagler ranked No. 3 for university research productivity in premier American Marketing Association (AMA) journals and No. 7 in university research productivity in premier journals. The AMA Doctoral Special Interest Group rankings are based on a decade of research productivity in top marketing journals.
- A recent Harvard Business Review article featuring insights from Professor Dave Hofmann proposes that top leaders don’t just aim to sustain their businesses—they build strategies that drive growth.
- Research on standardizing healthcare delivery processes from Professor Jayashankar M. Swaminathan and Anand Bhatia (PhD ’22) was accepted for publication in Production and Operations Management. They find that greater process standardization leads to lower costs, reduced readmission rates and more consistent quality of care across hospitals.
Alumni using AI
As AI reshapes industries, UNC Kenan-Flagler alumni are emerging as key players in driving practical, tech-enabled solutions from Chapel Hill to the broader healthcare and research sectors.
Dr. Bryan Russell (MBA ’23) and Dr. Gordon Groh (MBA ’18) are leading Visor.Health, an AI-powered platform transforming musculoskeletal care. Their evidence-based software blends SaaS and clinical services to improve diagnosis, access and recovery, with a summer launch targeting large employers.
Thomas Bamforth (MBA ’25) and Dr. Pranav Sanghvi (MD/MBA ’25) co-founded Carbonix AI, a Chapel Hill startup using AI agents to help Contract Research Organizations handle proposals more efficiently.
Standout students and alumni
- BankUnited named James Mackey (BSBA ’89, MAC ’92) chief financial officer effective November 2025. He brings three decades of financial services experience, most recently serving as chief financial officer for Wells Fargo’s consumer lending division.
- Shelby McKeown (MBA ’23) was promoted to senior associate at Edison Partners. Her background spans commercial credit and strategic corporate development roles at Bank of America, Lowe’s and Simplex Venture.
- Greg Poole (MAC ’24) joined the Wake Tech Foundation board of directors.
- Commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates Wilmington added Alex Thorpe (MBA ’91) to their team, furthering their growth in the Cape Fear region.
- Tim Shadyac (MBA ’24) joined Brownstein as a senior policy advisor. He is an experienced lobbyist who advises clients at the intersection of business and public policy.
Spotted on social
- Nate Gilmore (MBA ’27, PharmD ’28) is sharing his experience as a dual-degree student on TikTok.
- The UNC Center for the Business of Health is hosting a business of healthcare bootcamp open to all Carolina students. “Participants will gain exposure to key industry verticals through interactive sessions, real-world case discussions and small-group networking with alumni and industry professionals,” the LinkedIn announcement reads.
- UNC Kenan-Flagler students took to social media to showcase their summer internship experiences. Diamond Moore (BSBA ’27) took viewers through a day in her life as a Grubb Properties intern, while Anusha Rahman (MBA ’26) did the same for her internship at Chartis.
