News & Stories
In other news: October 2026
Remembering Winnie Fowler
Winnifred “Winnie” Fowler, who led the Master of Accounting (MAC) Program for more than two decades, died Sept. 5, 2026.
Fowler was the heart of the MAC Program and a tireless advocate for its importance to students’ lives and to UNC Kenan-Flagler’s role in shaping leaders.
Fowler led with warmth and an unwavering commitment to students. She championed hundreds of students as they prepared to begin their careers, while leaving a lasting impression on the faculty and colleagues who worked with her.
“Winnie led the program and her life with a huge, generous heart,” says Courtney Knoll (PhD ’05), associate dean of the program. “She was the one and only MAC mama and she helped shape the culture and success of the MAC Program from its earliest days.”
Her impact extended well beyond Chapel Hill. Fowler championed and led MAC Global Immersion Electives for years, creating opportunities for students to learn about their field outside the U.S. and develop international perspectives.
John Hand, Robert March and Mildred Borden Hanes Distinguished Professor of Accounting, remembers her as “a wonderful MAC mom to so many students over so many years.”
“She was an iron fist in a velvet glove,” says Wayne Landsman, KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accounting, about the strength and kindness behind her leadership style.
Her legacy lives on in the thousands of alumni, faculty and staff whose lives she touched and the MAC community she helped build.
“We are grateful for the years she dedicated to our students and the program and for the care she brought to it every day,” says Knoll.
Thought leaders
- Professor Christian Lundblad was invited to Washington, D.C. to join an International Monetary Fund (IMF) panel on hedge funds and financial stability for the launch of a new chapter in its Global Financial Stability Report. Lundblad emphasized that hedge funds can provide significant benefits to investors and market functioning while also creating vulnerabilities in particular states of the world.
- Professors Paige Ouimet and Elena Simintzi were awarded second place for the 2025 Jensen Prize by the Journal of Financial Economics for their paper “Mergers and Acquisitions, Technological Change and Inequality.”
- Professor Melissa Geil was selected as a Google for Education Higher Ed Faculty AI Fellow. Thousands of educators applied for the fellowship, and those selected represent the top 1% of applicants.
- Professor Edward Maydew, director of the UNC Tax Center, visited The University of Iowa Tippie College of Business as a part of their Sullivan Scholar in Residence program. While there, he presented “Stock Trading by U.S. Individual Investors: Evidence from Administrative Tax Data.”
- Research from Professors Elad Sherf and Terence McElroy (PhD ’24) was published in the Academy of Management Annals. Reviewing 268 organizational papers, they offer a more precise framework for understanding workplace behavior by distinguishing approach, avoidance and a third, often-overlooked inhibition system.
Ranking news
UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Undergraduate Business Program is once again among the nation’s leaders in business education, as it was ranked the No. 3 public undergraduate business program by U.S. News & World Report.
The Full-Time MBA Program ranked No. 20 by Bloomberg Businessweek, with an emphasis on the strength of the real estate program.
Finally, the MAC Program was ranked No. 2 among online master’s in accounting programs by Forbes.
Standout students and alumni
- Halle Powell (BSBA ’30) is the founder of The Senior Shuffle Project, a nonprofit that provides seated dance classes for seniors in eldercare communities. The project has reached more than 300 people through in-person classes and virtual classes through YouTube have reached all 100 North Carolina counties.
- Phil Salice (BSBA ’20) was promoted to wealth advisor at Signature Wealth Charlotte.
- Denise Nelson Robinson (MBA ’09) joined Washington Housing Conservancy as their inaugural chief operating officer.
- The Wood Center for Real Estate Studies announced Turner Inscoe (MBA ’06) as the new chair of their advisory board. Britt Snider (MBA ’04) will step into the role as his vice chair.
- Garrett N. Locklear (MBA ’24) stepped into the role of head of PMI-ICG client strategy at U.S. Bank.
- Brian Ember (MBA ’12) was named director of business development at Innatrix.
- Major Taylor Community Outreach, co-founded by Stefanee Richardson (MBA ’26), was awarded $300k by Durham Next as part of an accelerate to fund the Parrish Street Bike, Run, Walk festival.
- Andrew Gillette (MBA ’17) joined the Elon University Alumni Board.
- Jason Cox (MBA ’17) was named CEO of MUSC Health-Pee Dee Division after serving as interim CEO and chief operating officer.
Board updates
The UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Board announces two new members: Michael Wilson (BS ’84, MBA ’88) and Allison Lentz Bubar (BSBA ’02).
Wilson is a CEO and board director with a nearly 35-year track record of building and transforming global specialty chemicals and materials businesses. He serves on the board of Tsubaki Nakashima Co., Ltd. and the advisory board of Knowde.
Bubar’s experience spans both field and functional leadership. She joined White Cap in 2025 as senior vice president of enterprise operations, where she leads environmental health and safety and branch operations support for hundreds of branches across the U.S. and Canada.
Spotted on social
- Griffin Kennedy (MAC ’13) and his wife opened the first of their Scooter’s Coffee locations in Graham, North Carolina. Their plan is to build five more across central North Carolina over the next three years.
Griffin Kennedy (MAC ’13) opened the doors on their Scooter’s Coffee location.
- The Center for Excellence in Investment Management launched a brand-new program, Investment Management: Explore & Experience. Working alongside investment management practitioners, students analyzed real-world cases from a range of investor perspectives.
- Lauren Langley (BSBA ’25) was selected as a 2026 STANDOUT honoree through the North Carolina chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s young professionals program.