News & Stories
In other news: November 2025
Celebrating our October graduates
Jon Paul Temple’s (MBA ’25) time at UNC Kenan-Flagler was both challenging and transformative.
“The skills I’ve learned have pushed me to think differently and become a smarter, more thoughtful human,” Temple shared on LinkedIn. “To the UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty and staff: Thank you. You gave me the space to explore subject matter outside my professional comfort zone.”
Temple was among the 217 MBA graduates honored during a commencement ceremony in the Dean E. Smith Center last month. The Business School welcomed 67 MBA@UNC, 46 Evening Executive MBA, 41 Weekend Executive MBA and 63 Charlotte Executive MBA graduates. Mark Scullion (MBA ’07), CEO of Atlas Clinical Research, gave an inspirational commencement address.
The Master of Accounting Program also honored 156 graduates at the Dean E. Smith Center, who were addressed by Brad Bertinot (MBA ’14, MAC ’16), chief operating officer of Freeburn & Hamilton Attorneys at Law.
Thought leaders
- In a Kenan Insight by the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, Professor Kelley O’Brien argues that supporting local anchor institutions as they recover from natural disasters such as Hurricane Helene is essential to a state’s long-term prosperity.
- Professor Michael Meredith received a COIL Publication Award from UNC Global Affairs for his paper “Insights From Blended Mobility.”
- In an episode of The Institutional Edge podcast, Professor Gregory Brown discusses his research showing that buyout funds deliver higher risk-adjusted returns than venture capital and non-U.S. private market funds outperform when measured against local benchmarks.
- According to research by Professor Stephen Glaeser, the closure of IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers during government shutdowns slows new business creation.
- New research by Professor Norris Bruce investigates how subscription-based free-shipping programs influence customer purchase patterns and profitability across acquisition, renewal and post-subscription phases.
Standout students and alumni
- William Starling (BSBA ’75) received a distinguished alumnus award from the University. He supports UNC Kenan-Flagler through guest lectures, the Venture Capital Investment Competition and service on the Board of Advisors. An MBA fellowship in his name encourages students interested in biomedical engineering and science to pursue an MBA.
- Jonathan Britton (MBA ’25) joined Greenlead as chief operating officer.
- Rachael Vegas (MBA ’02) was named chief commercial officer of merchandising, marketing and digital at Walgreens. Vegas was previously executive vice president and chief merchant at BJ’s Wholesale Club.
- Janet Bates (MBA ’11) was named Terracon’s new marketing manager for the Southeast division.
- Neil Hanlon (MBA ’19) was appointed vice president of development at Woodfield Development, one of the U.S.’s top 20 developers of Class A multifamily communities.
- Stephen Dahlem (MBA ’16) joined Elon University’s alumni board.
- Michigan Ross School of Business welcomed Daphne Armstrong (PhD ’25) as a new faculty member for the 2025-26 academic year.
Spotted on social
- MrBeast, the global creator who built his empire in North Carolina, made a surprise visit to Professor Sajad Modaresi’s Business Analytics class. After a simple coin flip challenge, Vinit Satasia (BSBA ’26) walked away with $30,000.
- Mark Shorey (MBA ’17), director of integrated social and communications at Keurig Dr Pepper, was recognized by Ad Age as one of 40 under 40 in 2025.
- Sandipan Das (MBA ’26) presented his research proposal, “Unlocking Potential: Implementing Multimodal AI for Inclusive Business Communication,” at the annual conference of the Association for Business Communication.
- In a collaboration with NCGrowth, 10 Carolina law students spent their fall break providing free legal services to nine small business owners in rural western North Carolina.
- The UNC Kenan-Flagler Undergraduate Business Program Class of 2025 achieved a 99% employment rate among job seekers and 97% reported satisfaction with job offers. Graduates joined 170 unique companies, highlighting the program’s strong career outcomes.
- Professor Ric Colacito spoke at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Finance and Economics Research Seminar about his research on international climate news.
