We’re thrilled to announce the new board members of the Park Alumni Society (PAS) for 2024-2026. The Park Alumni Society was formed in March 2003 by alumni of the Park Scholarships.
The PAS was created with the following goals in mind:
- Serve as a clearinghouse for information for Park alumni
- Foster interaction between alumni and current scholars
- Be involved in the recruitment and selection process
- Assist the Park Scholarships program in capacities needed
- Promote positive growth within the University culture
- Fulfill obligation as members of the general alumni population
- Raise/tend funds, for activities to be determined
Get to know the new board members!
Andriy Shymonyak ‘15
President
Major: Political Science and History
Hometown: Born Novoyavorivsk, Ukraine, grew up in Raleigh, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
I work at the National Democratic Institute, an international development organization devoted to supporting, strengthening, and defending democratic values, processes, and institutions worldwide. A Senior Program Manager on our Eurasia team, where I manage programs focused on strengthening political parties and electoral processes, promoting information integrity and evidence-based research, and empowering women and other traditionally marginalized and underrepresented communities in the region.
I also serve as an executive board member of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), Local 2; a member of the Advisory Council for the School of Public and International Affairs at NC State, and volunteer with Ukraine Global Scholars.
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
The community, friendships, challenging conversations, and focus on excellence whatever one’s path.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
I’m bringing an enthusiasm for purposeful and meaningful alumni engagement and communications as well as a focus on participatory decision-making.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I’m excited to take on the role of president and build on the great work done by the outgoing board (and those before it). The goals for the next two years will ultimately be a decision made by the full board. However, I hope we can create or expand spaces for valuable alumni engagement with one another and with current Park Scholars that strengthen our community.
Sid Jandhyala ‘16
Voting Member
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Hometown: Durham, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
I am a Field Application Scientist at Revvity and Lecturer at UNC/NCSU BME department.
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
My favorite memory is a recent one, being able to spend Senior Retreat with the Class of 2024 this past fall.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
As a voting member of the Park Alumni Society board, I hope to be the voice of the society and vote in favor of the advancement of the program.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
In my two years on the board, my main focus is to support the board on their initiatives and strengthen the PAS through various programming and events.
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Matthew Latrick ‘06
Voting Board Member
Major: Political Science and Business Management
Hometown: Pasadena, Maryland
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
Currently I am the Regional Counsel-Americas for Morgan Advanced Materials (a global manufacturing company).
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
Being a founding member of the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
I hope to bring my background from the professional world and as a Park Alum for 18 years to help grow engagement from new and old alums.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I would like to keep the PAS growing in engagement, find ways to even further improve the Park Scholarship experience and help facilitate the great alumni network to benefit current Parks and alums in their endeavors.
Ashley Avis ‘18
Voting Board Member
Undergrad majors: Mathematics and Mathematics Education
Hometown: Sandy Ridge, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
In my free time I participate in a monthly book club with some of the most amazing women I’ve ever met, hike on the weekends (when I’m not dying from pollen), and play with my 3 dogs Sadie, Maverick and Athena. In my professional life, I am a Lead Data Scientist at the Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC Chapel Hill. I engage in health services research to evaluate the impacts of health care policy, support analyses and implementation of clinical trials for quality improvement (such as using a dashboard or an alert system in a clinic to improve patient care), and provide ad-hoc reports and evaluations for state agencies. I am also diving deeply into bias in machine learning and how we can build safe and fair predictive models in healthcare.
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
As a student, my favorite memories are all based around people including meeting with one of our Park Faculty Scholars in rocking chairs, reconnecting with my classmates on Senior Retreat, and the wonderful humans who taught me so much about the many perspectives and lived experiences in the world. As an alumni, some of my favorite memories are participating in Spark and reconnecting with my classmates and other Park alumni.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
Hopefully, many dog photo-bombing moments during our meetings. On a skills front, I’m hoping to bring techniques from tech stewardship to consider values across many groups and how we can find “both/and” solutions to honor the values of many.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I’m hoping to support the PAS in keeping alumni engaged with one another and current students.
Alonza Martin ‘12
Voting Board Member
Major: Bachelors in Business Administration with IT Concentration
Hometown: Roanoke Rapids, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
I’m an IT Product Owner at Advance Auto Parts.
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
Viewing the freshman retreat video of myself during senior retreat, and being able to witness and reflect on the personal growth achieved by being a part of the Park program.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
A desire to continue and grow the legacy of the Park program, so that it can continue to transform lives like it transformed mine.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I’m hoping to learn more about the needs of the board and furthering its purpose.
Megan Hicks ‘10
Major: Biochemistry, Spanish Minor
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
I am back in Greensboro working as a Cardiac Anesthesiologist and ICU physician at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, wife to Jason, an attorney, and mom to Jack, our wild toddler who turned 2 on April 1!
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
I’ll never forget the last night of Senior Retreat looking at the stars over the Grand Canyon and reminiscing about the program with some of my lifelong best friends.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
I’m no longer a young alumnus (eek!), but proud to be part of a large and growing network of professional alumni who are eager to mentor students toward our careers. I hope to bring insights for professional mentorship pathways as well as support for those of us with young children who are raising the next generation of Parks!
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I’m excited to just give back to the program that gave me so much!
Returning Members:
Joshua Chappell ‘14
Treasurer (re-elected to role of treasurer, 2022-2024)
Major: Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Goldsboro NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
I live in Washington DC and work for Hilton, where I’ve focused on a variety of areas including brand strategy, brand management, data analytics, and consumer insights. I also travel a lot and love to go see live shows!
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
Such a hard question. If I had to pick, I would say Senior Retreat. I had such an amazing time connecting & reconnecting with classmates, faculty, and alumni, and it was such a nice capstone to the 4-year experience. Coming in just behind this would be Learning Lab II, and of course being involved with (& eventually co-chairing) the Krispy Kreme Challenge.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
My motivation for joining PAS is to continue to find ways to give back to the program that invested so much in me. I hope to bring a unique perspective to the board and a passion for NC State and the Park program!
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I am excited to build on the work that we’ve done over the past 2 years to increase alumni engagement, especially from those who may feel disconnected from the program.
Leah Haile ‘13
Secretary (previously held the role of president, 2022-2024)
Major: Graphic Design
Hometown: Asheville, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
Freelance UX/UI Design
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
It’s technically after I was “in” the Park program, but I had such an amazing time with the class of 2020 on their Senior Retreat.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
A sparkling sense of humor and a can-do attitude
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I’m hoping to carry the torch on social media and overall communications.
Khari Cyrus ‘16
Vice President (re-elected to the role of vice president)
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Goldsboro, NC
What are you doing now, outside of being a PAS board member?
I am an attorney.
What is your favorite memory of being a part of the Park program?
The friends I made at freshman retreat that continue to be great friends 11+ years later.
What will you bring to the Park Alumni Society board?
A desire to see Park Alumni Society be the best it can be.
What are you hoping to accomplish in your two years on the board?
I’m hoping to build a stronger relationship with the NC State Alumni Association.
