Former Student Athlete Turned Mentor

Martin Jarmond ’01 oversees day-to-day operations at The Ohio State University Department of Athletics, but his most important job is being a mentor to student-athletes.

“There is nothing better than being able to help someone and for them to say that you played a small role in how they developed or where they ended up,” said Jarmond, deputy athletic director and chief of staff at The Ohio State University.

The support Jarmond received as a UNCW student-athlete sparked a desire to help young people develop and navigate their own journeys.

Jarmond, who was recently named to the Sports Business Daily Journal's Forty Under 40 Class of 2017, was a member of the UNCW men’s basketball team from 1998-2001. He served as team captain and was selected for the CAA All-Academic team in 2000. One of his fondest memories at UNCW was when the team won the CAA tournament in 2000, which punched the Seahawks’ ticket to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history.

“I’ll never forget all of the people that lined the streets coming into town and all over campus when we pulled into Trask,” he recalled. “It was as if the entire Wilmington community all came out to welcome us home. The pride and joy that our Seahawk basketball team brought to campus and the community is something I’ll never forget.”

Read more at We Are UNCW.

Congratulations 2017 Alumni Award Winners

Darion Jeralds ’10, ’14M; Chad Porter ’98; and Chip Mahan have demonstrated personal commitment to community engagement while achieving outstanding professional success. In recognition of their accomplishments, the UNCW Alumni Association presented them with awards on Feb. 3, 2017. Jeralds was named Distinguished Young Alumnus of the Year; Porter, Distinguished Alumnus of the Year; and Mahan, Distinguished Citizen of the Year.

For Darion Jeralds, the senior sourcing manager for Global Nuclear Fuel, his UNCW experience prepared him for a smooth transition into the corporate world. His career path started with a class in business operations. After the final project, his professor invited Jeralds to interview for an internship with GE. The internship led to an entry-level opportunity. Jerald’s time on the men’s basketball team helped him develop the character, work ethic and determination to thrive during early career roles, he said.

Chad Porter, a motivational speaker and trainer who works with small businesses and Fortune 500 companies across the nation, also donates countless hours as a mentor to students of all ages. Porter earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education from UNCW and a graduate degree in physical therapy from East Carolina University. His professional experience includes roles in real estate, at the Coastal Rehabilitation Hospital and as the founder of Porter Financial Group. Today, Porter is a member of the Zig Ziglar International Team, an elite group of highly skilled and knowledgeable corporate trainers.

For more than a decade, Chip Mahan has supported UNCW through service and giving. He has served as a member of the UNCW Board of Visitors, the Foundation Endowment Board and the Cameron School of Business Advisory Board. Mahan, founder, CEO and chairman of the board of directors of Live Oak Bank, is also a founding member of nCino and serves on its board of directors. Prior to his work with Live Oak Bank, he served as CEO and chairman of the board for S1 Corporation and founder of Security First Network Bank, the world’s first internet bank.

Read more about these award recipients at We Are UNCW.

Pursuit of Professional Passions

Matthew Kane '16 did more than “talk the talk” as a young entrepreneur; he “walked the walk” by running his own business – a fitness center – before he graduated from UNCW’s Entrepreneurship and Business Development program in May 2016. His drive left an indelible mark at UNCW, where he was honored as the 2016 Outstanding Graduate in Entrepreneurship and Business Development.

This success came after a lauded career in the military. From 2008 to 2012, Kane served as a Scout Sniper Team Leader in the United States Marine Corps with tours in Afghanistan, Haiti, Oman, Kuwait and Djibouti. He garnered a number of recognitions, including a Combat Action Ribbon, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

Kane currently works as a requirements analyst for Deloitte Consulting LLP in Arlington, VA. The job allows him to combine two of his passions – problem solving and public-facing service – while also learning more about how businesses and agencies operate.

“My favorite part of my job is the ability to support multiple federal agencies as they work toward accomplishing their missions,” he said. “I also enjoy the fast pace and small-team aspects of consulting.”

UNCW will always be special to him because both he and his wife, Austin Kane ’09, are alumni. He is still in touch with Professor Stephen Harper, whom he credits for helping him see what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur and motivating him to work as hard as possible to capture the opportunities in front of him.

Read more at We Are UNCW.

Building UNCW's Culture of Philanthropy

Keith Fraser ’13, assistant director of annual giving, has the privilege of helping build a culture of philanthropy among the UNCW community.

“As a proud alumnus, I understand the importance of investing in UNCW,” he said. “Our investment in one another sends an important message to the Wilmington community, alumni and the state that we are accomplishing great things here.”

Prior to his current role, he served as a first-year admissions coordinator. While traveling and meeting prospective students and parents, he learned firsthand the importance of educational access and affordability for all students, regardless of their background or financial situation, which provides a rich context for his role in the Division for University Advancement.

“UNCW had a record-breaking year in fundraising. Nearly $15 million in gifts and commitments were made during 2015-16. Of those gifts made, 50 percent were less than $50. This is an incredible reminder that no gift is too small to make a big impact for our current and future students.”

Read more at We Are UNCW.

Meet the new members at-large of the Board of Directors

The UNC Wilmington Alumni Association welcomed four new members at-large to our Board of Directors. These individuals will provide leadership and guidance to the association during their three-year term of service.

Danielle Bryant ’02 earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration and now lives in Raleigh, NC, serving as Human Resources Manager at Amec Foster Wheeler. There she is responsible for implementing human resource management strategies and acts as a strategic partner to the executive management team. Additionally, Danielle volunteers as a Meredith College Business student mentor, Chair of a Human Resources Construction Council and member of the Raleigh Wake Human Resources Association.

Deborrah Newton ’83 earned a bachelor’s in English and is currently an attorney, licensed to practice law in both state and federal court. Owner of Newton Law Firm, Deborrah litigates trial and appeal cases, with a concentration in State and Federal Criminal Law. She has served as both Secretary and President of the Wake County Academy of Criminal Trial Lawyers and is currently a member of Governor McCrory’s Mental Health and Substance Use Commission. Deborrah’s daughter Brittany is also a UNCW alumna, carrying on the UNCW legacy.

Cedrick Barrett ’00 attended UNCW on a full academic scholarship and earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration. Cedrick works as the Finance Director for the YMCA of Wilmington, Inc. where he is responsible for the fiscal management of the organization. Cedrick is currently a board member and past treasurer of DREAMS of Wilmington, and won the New Hanover County Partnership for Fatherhood Award in March 2016. He has remained actively involved with UNCW by attending alumni events and creating opportunities for students through partnerships with the career center and the Upperman African American Cultural Center.

Louis “Gus” Fennell, Jr. ’00 earned a bachelor’s in Business Administration, while serving on the Student Government Association as the Junior Class Senator and Senator at Large. Currently, Gus lives in Charleston, SC, and is a Vice President at BlackRock, Inc. where he works with investment professionals in North and South Carolina. Additionally, he serves on the Advisory Board for the Cameron School of Business Economics/Finance department.

Additionally, the board welcomed new chapter representatives:

· Joey Morganthall ’07 – Charlotte Area President

· Will Owens ’98 – Triangle Area President

· Juliana Nesbit ’06 – Watson College of Education President

· Jamie Thompson ’03 – Communications Studies President

To learn more about the role of the Alumni Board of Directors, and renewing members Brian Cruz and Dawn McKernan, visit uncw.edu/alumni/board.html.

The Oscars: Seahawks on the Red Carpet

Jessica Riffle Edwards ’04, UNCW Alumni Association board member, recently attended the most star-studded event of the year, the 86th Academy Awards! We caught up with Jessica to hear about this once-in-a-lifetime experience. With the help of celebrity stylist, Marcellas Reynolds, and makeup artist, Brittney Rhoades, Jessica was red carpet ready in no time. View her complete transformation on Storify.

Jessica Riffle Edwards ’04 with her sister-in-law at the Oscars

A Wilmington-based realtor for Coldwell Banker SeaCoast Advantage, Jessica has become well known for her video blogs on YouTube. Her unique marketing techniques were featured on the TODAY Show. Not long after, Coldwell Banker Corporate started working closely with Jessica on various marketing projects.

When the company decided to purchase promotional air time for the 2014 show, they received two tickets to the Academy Awards, the pre-Oscars party hosted by ABC, and the Governor’s Ball. They decided Jessica, with her social media expertise, would be the perfect person to help promote the new commercial!

“From the moment we touched down in LA, the whole experience seemed very surreal,” Jessica said. When asked if she had a favorite celebrity she met or saw, she responded, “Seeing Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie arrive at the Governor’s Ball. When they arrived, we were standing right there and immediately all the photographers and everyone went into a complete frenzy. They (Brad and Angelina) remained calm and casual, were laughing and talking with the photographers and just seemed like very real and personable individuals.”

Jessica said her most memorable moment was watching Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto’s surprised reactions when their names were called for their performances in the Dallas Buyers Club. “The whole experience was beyond amazing,” she shared.

UNCW Alumni Relations/Jordan Hinkley '09

Alumni in the News

• Chris Cooprider '13, former UNCW tennis standout, won his first professional title at the Turkey F27 Futures Double Championship in Istanbul, Turkey. 
• Logan Hendricks '06 and Kyle Clark '07, made a name for themselves in the film industry during the Big Sky Film Festival in Montana with their documentary, Love at a Certain Age. 
• Dave McKenna '03, former baseball player, was named the new Carrollton Central High School softball coach in Carrollton, Georgia. 
• Deborah Brasic '94 joined Cape Fear Hospice & LifeCareCenter as a nurse practitioner. 
• Jenni Harris '91, assistant to the chancellor for community partnerships at UNCW, has been elected to the board of Leadership North Carolina. 
• Kayla Herring '13 accepted a job as enrollment specialist with Hill, Chesson & Woody (HCW), a health and welfare benefits brokerage and consulting firm in Durham, NC. 

Alumni News & Notes

• John R. Bell, IV '01 was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives and is serving in his first term in House District 10.
• Meredith Causey '09, who works as a nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, received the Exceptional Person Award.
• Nancy Carter '82 recently had her landscape and abstract paintings featured in New Elements Gallery in Wilmington.
• Michael Bass '13 and Justin Livengood '13 have been drafted by the San Diego Padres; making 89 Seahawks to play professional baseball since 1960. 
  
• Corey Heitz '99 is one of 20 individuals nationwide selected to be an AAMC MedEdPortal Faculty Mentor and received the 2013 Carilion Clinic/Virginia Tech Carilion Emergency Medicine Residency Scholar of the Year award.
• Brittany Cox '10 has appeared in the recent Microsoft commercial and has been cast in "A Bad Summer for Tomatoes" filming in Kingston, WA this summer. 
• Jessica Maher '01 is the special assistant to the president for legislative affairs and responsible for promoting the president's agenda in the U.S. Senate. She focuses on coordinating with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources, the Environment and Public Works, the Agriculture and Indian Affairs committees. 
• Koyah Rivera '00 was recently promoted to the Graduate Registrar/Graduate Student Support Services Manager at the UNC School of Dentistry and has been accepted into the PhD program in Leadership Studies at NC A&T State University which she will begin in the fall. 
• Jane Howard Crutchfield '03 started a raw food truck and catering business, Triangle Raw Foods, with her partner Matthew Daniels in 2011. They have plans to open a raw, organic, vegan cafe in Durham.

Have some news you would like to share? Send an email to classnotes@uncw.edu with your name, graduation year(s) and contact information and we'll include it in future blog posts!

Seahawk Sweethearts

A degree isn't the only thing that Seahawks walk away with after their final days of class. Aside from the lifelong friendships, many also find their soul mate, the one person who knows them better than anyone else and stands by their side through it all.

In celebration Homecoming 2013, which falls on Valentine's weekend, alumni couples are invited to submit their photos and stories for a chance to win a fantastic getaway package. This video is a product of the submissions received so far. Interested in entering the contest? Entries will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2013 and the final votes will be counted on Feb. 1, 2013. Find contest rules and details!