Meet the New Chapter Leadership

Joey Morganthall – Charlotte Area President

Grad Year: 2007

School & Major: Cameron School of Business, Business Administration & College of Arts and Sciences, Communications Studies

Current Employment: Broker, MPV Properties

Activities as a student: Vice President – Delta Tau Delta Fraternity, 4 Years- Club Soccer Team

What motivated you to get involved with the Alumni Association?

I wanted to give back to UNCW because of the quality experience I had at UNCW.  I want to ensure that my education at UNCW is a long term investment, and that Alumni continue to give back and help raise the standards of the University. 

Juliana Nesbit – Watson College of Education President

Grad Year: 2006

School & Major: Watson College of Education, Social Studies Certification,  B. A. in History, 

Current Employment: Social Studies Teacher at Topsail High School

Activities as a student: NC Teaching Fellow

What motivated you to get involved with the Alumni Association? I enjoy being able to give back to the university and the Watson College. I like the networking opportunities, building connections between the university and community, and having an inside look at how certain things at the university are run.

Will Owens – Triangle Area President

Grad Year: 1998

School & Major: College of Arts & Sciences, Sociology and Criminology  

Current Employment: Attorney/Partner, Owens & Miller, PLLC

What motivated you to get involved with the Alumni Association?

I gained a lot from my experience at UNCW, and want to give back to the extent I am capable from 120 miles west of Wilmington.  Through the Alumni Association, I've been able to both reconnect with former classmates, and also meet other alumni from other classes and even other generations.  We've formed good friendships and even a few business relationships.  By volunteering with the alumni association, I'm hopeful of helping other Seahawks foster the same positive experience. 

Jamie Kury Thompson – Communications Studies President

Grad Year: 2003

School & Major: College of Arts & Sciences, Communication Studies and French

Current Employment: Development Director, Coastal Horizons Center

Activities as a student: Alpha Phi, French Club, Study Abroad in Marseille and Paris

What motivated you to get involved with the Alumni Association?

I have had the pleasure of working with interns from the Communications Studies department over the last 8 years. It has been an incredible experience and it made me realize that I really enjoy staying involved with UNCW. It is so wonderful to see how much the department has grown since I was an undergrad and I want to find ways to be of service to a university that did so much for me as a student and now as a professional.   

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