Alumni

Working from home this spring, in his position as senior research administrator of invoicing in Grants and Contracts Administration at UNC Charlotte, Zack Tarlton ’13 started playing piano during his lunch hour. While his academic training is in architecture, Tarlton has a long history in musical theatre.“I basically grew up at Matthews Playhouse,” he said. As a student at UNC Charlotte, he managed to sneak away from his desk in Storrs to perform in the Department of Theatre production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

An engineering design firm made up of UNC Charlotte students and alumni has its roots in the Lee College of Engineering.

Dareion Malone ’13 is the Union County Public Schools 2020-21 Teacher of the Year. He is the chorus teacher at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw.When Malone’s corporate job was eliminated in the 2008 economic downturn, he decided to return to school to pursue his first love, music.“That was always my initial choice,” he said in a 2018 interview for CoA+A Community. “I was discouraged from studying music for my first degree because of low teacher pay.” He had instead studied business administration.

In nearly 11 years working as a nurse at Regional Medical Center in San Jose, California, Christy Murray Stromska ’07 ’09 has seen it all.

John Woodall ’14 and Kevin Brawley ’13 met at UNC Charlotte. They were pursuing bachelor degrees in music, developed a mutual respect for each other’s abilities and became fast friends.

Alum’s expertise heightens the coronavirus conversation.

In a matter of months, Jordan Estabrook ‘19 went from a communications student to crisis communicator, as she has helped UNC Charlotte’s Business Affairs Division navigate its response to COVID-19.

The College of Arts + Architecture (CoA+A) honored its 2020 Distinguished Alumni on Friday, March 13, during a ceremony in the Anne R. Belk Theater in Robinson Hall. The event was the college’s sixth annual ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of alumni who demonstrate in their work the core themes of the college’s vision: professionalism; global perspective; environmental engagement; connectivity with community; collaboration; and the emergence of new ideas, skills and practices.

Krystal Turner ’14,’19 M.A. recently was named Outstanding Entry-Level Student by the Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society International. The society promotes scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, advocacy and excellence in counseling.

Amy Wartham, director of corporate training at UNC Charlotte, and alumnae Sallie Jarosz ’82, Cristi Lewis ’96 and Angelica Srivoraphan ’10 were among the individuals honored at this year’s Charlotte Business Journal (CBJ) Women in Business Awards event held Tuesday, Feb. 24.This annual awards program, now in its 24th year, honors 25 outstanding businesswomen from the region who have made significant contributions to their professions and communities in the past year.