Graduate School establishes advisory board

UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School has established its first Graduate School Advisory Board. Members will serve primarily as advocates for graduate education and help promote public awareness of the incredible breadth and depth of graduate programs found at North Carolina’s Urban Research University, according to officials.

“No University can build great graduate programs alone,” said Tom Reynolds, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School. “Having a Graduate School Advisory Board composed of members who are distinguished by their character and leadership, who believe in the importance of graduate education and share a willingness to apply their special skills and strengths to advance the mission of the Graduate School is critical to our success in building a major research university.”

Advisory board members will attend regular meetings and other University functions, and they may be called upon to share their skills and expertise directly with students through teaching, mentoring or other professional development activities.

“We look for members who can keep us engaged and build networks with the Charlotte community and region,” Reynolds stated. “External advisors not only provide networking opportunities and give us valuable advice, but more importantly they bring something priceless to our program, an external perspective. It’s this outside view that helps us stay current or better yet, stay ahead of the curve in research and graduate education.”

Members of the inaugural Graduate School Advisory Board will serve for three years and will volunteer their time and expertise in a variety of ways on and off campus. They are: Beth Benton, vice president, commercial banking, PNC Financial Services Group; Angela Broome, chief executive officer, American Red Cross, Carolina Piedmont Region; David Causey, senior project engineer, AREVA Charlotte; Judy Heylmun, president, Fore Sense + One; B.J. Holdnak, director of talent management, Babcock and Wilcox; George Ladner, owner and president, Altum Inc.; Melanie Spencer, director of research, CHS – Dickson Analytics Center; Alice Sudduth, a retired counselor and psychotherapist; and Rebecca Whitener, entrepreneur.