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.

Cameron School of Business 2016 Outstanding Alumni

Strong work ethics, integrity and commitment to lifelong learning are just a few qualities
shared by Charles Craft ’79, David Pirrung ’90 and Maurice Smith ’79, this year’s Cameron 
School of Business Outstanding Alumni.

Charles Craft

Craft is a partner at RSM US LLP (RSM), the largest provider in the nation of audit, tax and financial services with a focus on the middle market. Pirrung is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of IAT Insurance Group, a property and casualty organization headquartered in Raleigh. Smith is the president and CEO of Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU), a cooperative serving the financial needs of those affiliated with local governments in North Carolina.

Craft, a Wilmington native, graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and became a CPA in 1981.  He continued to accrue decades of experience in the industry, including ten years with a large regional firm. Craft ultimately became a founder and stockholder of Lanier, Whaley, Craft & Co. until they joined with RSM US LLP in 2013, where he now serves as a partner and CPA. Along with the leadership he currently provides the Wilmington tax practice, Craft serves on several boards, including the Executive Advisory Board of the Cameron School of Business and the MSA Advisory Committee at UNCW.

Craft credits his success to family, and to surrounding himself with people who challenge him to grow. "Seeing people around me succeed is part of success," he said.

David Pirrung

Like many, Pirrung took a more winding road before he ultimately settled on a school and a major. Originally from Pennsylvania, Pirrung first spent a year on a scholarship at Rochester Institute of Technology as a physics major, and then another year at community college. He arrived in Wilmington in the summer of 1988 to attend summer school, said Pirrung, “in a pick-up truck with a motorcycle strapped to the back.”

Pirrung said it was the magnetism of the faculty that got him really interested in school for the first time. Realizing he wanted to continue his education at UNCW, he worked first in real estate to his establish North Carolina residency, then returned to campus the following spring. He continued to work full-time in real estate while taking a full course load until he graduated with a Bachelor of Science. Not long after graduation he joined Ernst & Young in Raleigh, and was soon promoted to senior manager. He moved to a CFO position at a start-up insurance company, and ultimately landed at IAT Insurance, a global organization with approximately one billion of premiums written annually. Pirrung was named the CFO in 2005.

“Make yourself the expert,” he suggests, particularly to recent graduates transitioning to the business world.

Maurice Smith

Smith’s work ethic began with his family, and advice his father that he took to heart: “Nobody in the room better outwork you.”

Smith grew up on a small farm in Southport. Along with the value of hard work, he knew from an early age that he wanted to go into banking. When it became time to gain his secondary education to help fulfill that goal, he knew that as his parents' only son, he would need to go to college close to home so he could return to work on the farm on weekends. For this reason, UNCW fit the bill.

In 1979 Smith earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, and upon graduation began his career with the State Employees Credit Union. He served in a variety of roles until 1992 when he joined LGFCU as executive vice president. In 1999 he was promoted to president.

His education did not end with UNCW. He earned a Juris Doctorate from the North Carolina Central University School of law and is licensed to practice in North Carolina, the District of Columbia and before the United States Supreme Court. He is also a North Carolina Certified Superior Court Mediator. Smith serves on numerous boards, including the Board of Trustees at UNCW.

His sage advice could apply to anyone: “Learn everything.”

-- Kimberly Falkenhagen

These award recipients will be featured in UNCW Magazine's next issue, coming out in July.

Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients Honored at Homecoming

Left to right: Lt. Col. Robert Rideout Jr. ’95, Josh Vach ’87 and Ryan Crecelius ’06 

Lt. Col. Robert Rideout Jr. ’95, Ryan Crecelius ’06 and Josh Vach ’87 may have different backgrounds, but they share a common bond – a love for the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the distinction of being named distinguished alumni.

The three award recipients were honored during UNCW Homecoming held Feb. 13-14. Rideout, the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year; Crecelius, the Young Alumnus of the Year; and Vach, the Citizen of the Year, were nominated for these awards by fellow alumni and peers due to their achievements and contributions to their communities. Find out more about the recipients in WE ARE UNCW.

Congratulations Outstanding UNCW Cameron School of Business Alumni

The 2012 recipients are Carlton Fisher ’83; Jim Parker ’98 and Jason Wheeler ’99, ’03M. Each one has been chosen based on his successes following graduation from UNCW.

Carlton Fisher ’83 graduated with a degree in business. He now works at the family business, Coastal Realty Co. Carlton and his family have strong ties to the university in that both his parents and wife are graduates and his son is soon to be enrolled. Carlton is the past chair of UNCW Foundation Board of Directors and currently serves on the UNCW Board of Trustees.

Jim Parker ’98M graduated with a Master of Business Administration after receiving his undergraduate degree from University of Maryland College Park in accounting. He currently serves as the director of finance- internal audit with ConAgra Foods in Omaha, Neb. Jim has facilitated internal audit courses for the Institute of Auditors for more than 14 years. He started his career in audit by working for the Marine Corps Nonappropriated Fund Audit Service.

Jason Wheeler ’99, ’03M is CEO and wealth consultant for Pathfinder Wealth Consulting in Wilmington. He is very involved in the UNCW and Wilmington communities. He serves as an associate professor of corporate finance in the Cameron School of Business and is also a member of the UNCW Foundation Board of Directors. Jason is a member of the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and was elected to the Cape Fear Community College Foundation Board in 2012. He also received the 2004 UNCW Young Alumnus of the Year Award.

The three 2012 Outstanding UNCW Cameron School of Business alumni will be recognized and participate as the panel speakers during the CSB Alumni Speaker Breakfast & Panel Discussion. The event will be on Wednesday, March 28 in Madeline Suite at 7:00 am and is part of Business Week.

Tori Hamed/UNCW Alumni Relations Intern

Congratulations to the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

The Alumni Association is proud to announce the recipients of the 2012 UNCW Distinguished Alumni Awards. Each award recipient has been recognized by their peers for their hard work and dedication to UNCW and for the Wilmington community.

Shanda Williams Bordeaux ’92 is the UNCW Distinguished Alumnus recipient. Currently a high school counselor at the Wilmington Christian Academy, Shanda received her degree from the College of Arts and Sciences. She is an active member in the UNCW community and has served on several committees and boards, is a past chairwoman of the UNCW Alumni Association and former president of the Seahawk Club Board. Shanda has also been previously recognized as a lifetime member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. We are proud to honor Shanda with this award for her willingness to give her time and resources back to UNCW.

Justin Queen ’04 is the UNCW Young Alumnus award recipient this year. Upon graduating from the university with his degree in Communication Studies, Justin went on to found Wilmington-based Blu Zeus Interactive Marketing. At UNCW, Justin is a member of the UNCW Entrepreneurship Board of Advisors as well as a member of the UNCW Entrepreneurship Center. He also speaks regularly to classes in the Cameron School of Business and in the Department of Communication Studies.

Ann Sherman-Skiba has been recognized as this year’s Distinguished Citizen of the Year. Ann has devoted her time giving to the Wilmington community as a volunteer on the UNCW Board of Visitors and on the Board of Directors at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She also contributes hours of support to the Cameron Museum of Art. Ann is an active supporter of the university’s history and music programs.

These three outstanding individuals have shown character, generosity, and devotion to UNCW. They will receive their awards during Homecoming 2012 and will be recognized during the parade and halftime of the Men’s Basketball game on Saturday, February 4.

UNCW Alumni Relations/Zac Allison, Intern