News & Stories
In other news: March 2026
Exceptional faculty and staff
Several UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty and staff were recently recognized for their contributions inside and outside of the classroom.
- Eight faculty and staff were honored for excellence in teaching and mentoring by graduating seniors in the Morehead-Cain Class of 2026. Mike Beeler, Tim Flood, Paul Friga, Brad Hendricks, Claudia Kubowicz Malhotra, Shimul Melwani, Jeff Mittelstadt and Tracy Triggs-Matthews were selected for making a significant impact on the students’ academic experience, professional development and personal growth at Carolina.
- Jaeho Yoo (PhD ’28) received a Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by Graduate Teaching Assistants from the University.
- MBA@UNC recognized their annual “Teaching All-Stars” for their performance over the past academic year, based on student evaluation data. For core courses, the program celebrated Ivonne Chirino-Klevans, Doug Guthe (MBA ’99), Ashraf Jaffer, Jason Jenny (MBA ’13), Ron Lazer, John Shaw (MBA ’90), Tanja Snively and Amanda Thompson. For elective courses, the program celebrated Adam Brown (MBA ’14), Chirino-Klevans, Charles Duncan, Jaffer, Brad Lindsey (PhD ’06), Sean Sanders, Thompson and Todd Weber (PhD ’06).
Thought leaders
- Research from Professor Brad Staats and Blair Liu (PhD ’26) was published in Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. Their study explores what drives ICU nurse attrition and how hospitals can better retain their staff. Analyzing more than two years of data from a large U.S. hospital system, they found that while greater responsibility during a shift can reduce the likelihood of nurses leaving, emotional fatigue and overtime shifts significantly increase attrition risk.
- Professor Kristopher Keller’s research on private labels was featured by the Branding Special Interest Group of the American Marketing Association. His paper “Promotion elasticities of national and store brands: The effect of price level and brand type on promotion elasticity” examines how price promotions impact national and store brands differently. By analyzing nearly 700 million grocery transactions, he finds that national brands are generally more responsive to promotions than store brands.
Standout students and alumni
- Cara Rousseau (MBA ’11) was named the next CEO of Discover Durham.
Professor Ted Zoller and Kate Elia (MBA ’23)
- Food and wine industry veteran Kate Elia (MBA ’23) launched Jane’s “By the Sea,” a new seafood restaurant in Durham.
- After meeting in the UNC Kenan-Flagler Executive MBA Program, Adam Chalker (MBA ’25) and Jon Britton (MBA ’25) are building GreenLead, a leadership and organizational consulting firm. They are focused on working with small and mid-size companies in the Triangle, especially ones with a UNC-Chapel Hill connection.
- Jim Chapman (MBA ’96) was elected as the National Association of Home Builders’ 2026 third vice chairman.
- Six UNC Kenan-Flagler student athletes – Grace Pottebaum (BSBA ’26), Amy Wozniak (BSBA ’26), Caden Whaling (BSBA ’26), John McDowell (BSBA ’27), Ella Smith (BSBA ’27) and Sadie Swift (BSBA ’26) – received 2025-26 Bubba Cunningham Athletic Director’s Scholar-Athlete Awards.
Spotted on social
- Recycling solutions company Ocean Plastic Technologies hosted UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA students on their Global Immersion Elective to South Africa over spring break. “We are always encouraged by the curiosity, insight and global perspective groups such as these future leaders bring,” they posted on LinkedIn.
- Sophia Jenkins (BSBA ’22), Adrianna Hernandez Cepero (BSBA ’23) and Jeremy Baslious (BSBA ’20) returned to Carolina to visit Professor Carri Reisdorf’s Retail and E-Tail Marketing class. The alumni serve as senior account executives across various product categories at Procter & Gamble.
