Alumni Updates from the 2023-2024 Annual Report

The Park Scholarships program has over 1,100 alumni who span the globe. Park alumni excel after graduating, attending esteemed graduate and professional schools. They pursue careers across all industries and launch their own businesses, sometimes even doing so before they leave NC State. They are award winners, entrepreneurs, authors, policy-makers, researchers, educators, musicians, designers, climate change experts, health care innovators and more.

Thank you to all of the alumni who submitted updates!

Class of 2001

Sharene Pierce ’15 is VP of talent acquisition and chief diversity & inclusion officer for Duke Energy. The company is one of the largest regulated utilities in the nation and is leading an ambition clean energy transition.

Class of 2002

Milind Kulkarni ’02 was named the Michael and Katherine Birck Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University. The Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering has top-10 programs in electrical engineering and computer engineering, while also being one of the largest ECE departments in the country.

Jennifer C. Johnson ’02 is the co-founder and chief creative officer at a mental health tech startup called Emotionally Speaking. They released their new app called “The Wisdom Tree” where people can chat with AI monks and find guidance on any topic. Available on the web, App Store and Google Play Store. www.emotionallyspeaking.com

Class of 2003

Daniel Malechuk ’03 is principal and CEO of Landmark Sotheby’s International Realty and Landmark Vacation Rentals and is based out of Wilmington, North Carolina. They recently opened their sixth office in the Outer Banks and is the only firm serving clients for the entirety of the North Carolina coast. Recently, the firm completed the all-time highest residential real estate transaction in North Carolina history in successfully listing and closing a $13.9 million property.

Erin Ennis ’14 has been a family physician partner at Garner Family Practice for 14 years and serves on the executive board and as quality chair for the UNC Healthcare System Health and Senior Alliances. She also serve on the board for Knowing God Ministries. In June 2024, she celebrated her 20th wedding anniversary with husband, Kevin Ennis.

Class of 2004

Shelly Lowery ’04 is the chief medical officer of Scotland Health Care System and the senior VP of Ambulatory practices.

Class of 2005

Carie Page ’05 is the chief learning and education officer at Lit, a non-profit creating a world where every kid, everywhere, is a reader. They help school system leaders transform their reading ecosystems to be research-aligned and grounded in instructional equity. She lives in Asheville with her husband Jon and two (hopefully learning-to-read-soon) kids, Lincoln & Eliza.

Jordan Schwarz ’05 is the engineering technical leader for turbochargers at General Motors. Jordan and his family live in the Detroit metro area with their collection of animals (horses, goats, chickens, etc.) Outside of work, Jordan is involved with SAE International and 4-H, where he leads the local 4-H Aerospace chapter. Jordan also enjoys creative writing and published his first novel for young readers, “Echo’s Promise,” in 2023.

Jodee Ruppel ’05 was announced as the executive director of the North Carolina Folk Festival for 2024. One of the largest free music festivals in the Southeast, this three-day event showcases diverse genres of music and shows that folk music is music of the people. www.ncfolkfestival.com

Class of 2006

Matt Latrick ’06 is the regional counsel for the Americas at Morgan Advanced Materials, a global manufacturing company making materials and components for a wide variety of industries including clean energy, transportation, aerospace and medical devices. He recently was selected for and completed the Catalyst leadership program, an 18-month intensive executive coaching accelerator.

Kelly Helton ’06 is the owner and operator of Cheer Extreme Raleigh. We have won the world championship for all-star cheerleading nine times and hundreds of national titles. We offer competitive cheerleading for ages three and up. We also offer summer camps, classes, seasonal teams, half year teams and tumbling!

Class of 2007

Chasta Hamilton ’07 released her first children’s book, “The Trophy Trap: Unleash Your Inner Winner.” Her writing and speaking continue to elevate her platform and research surrounding toxic achievement culture and the value of organizational culture that prioritizes belonging.

Class of 2008

Jon Clemmons ’08 is the general manager of the single A Texas Rangers minor league baseball team, Down East Wood Ducks. The team currently resides in Kinston, NC and hosted 66 regular season home games from April through September in 2024. Check out the team at woodducksbaseball.com or on social media @gowoodducks. And the Texas Rangers won baseball America’s organization of the year in 2023. Clemmons was able to celebrate and be a part of the organization’s first World Series Championship in team history.

Lauren (Lauzza) Wall ’08 is a doctoral student in global health policy and evaluation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. She continues her work in international development and named director of programs for Digital Square, an initiative funded by the USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and a consortium of other partners. She leads a global team providing technical assistance to Ministries of Health in Asia and Africa to digitize their health information systems.

Candice Epps Jackson ’08 was appointed as the inaugural assistant vice chancellor of student affairs for health and well-being at Winston-Salem State University. Her portfolio includes student health, counseling services, health education, pharmacy services, services for students with disabilities, university recreation and interpersonal violence prevention.

Larry Moye ’08 is raising two rambunctious sons in Raleigh with his wife, Brittany. They go to Wolfpack games (including a Dallas stunner over Duke in the Elite 8 this spring) and get to the North Carolina coast whenever possible. He practices law focusing on estate and trust matters and private wealth planning.

Sarah Kim ’08 started her own general surgery private practice in 2021 in Allen, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. She is the chair of surgery at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Allen. She performs surgeries in multiple hospitals and surgery centers in the north Texas area.

Class of 2009

Taylor Auten ’09 was promoted to general counsel of Echo Health Ventures, a health care venture capital firm based in Durham, North Carolina. Echo’s mission is to drive systemic health care transformation through hands-on, purpose-driven strategic venture capital and growth equity investing.

Cameron Cooper ’09 finished a successful three-year operational assignment as the prevention department head at Coast Guard Sector Key West this past summer. He is now assigned as an Instructor at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conneticut, where he teaches courses in the naval architecture and marine engineering department as a Lieutenant Commander.

Class of 2010

Alex (Wiedemann) Holland ’10 is the marketing service line leader at S&ME, an engineering consulting firm headquartered in Raleigh. She leads a team of marketing professionals and provides firm-wide education on marketing and pursuit best practices. She and her husband, Will, welcomed a daughter last April.

Ellen Guthrie (Orabone) ’10 and her husband Derek Guthrie welcomed their first child, Graham Patrick Guthrie, on March 24, 2024.

Jessie Ritter ’10 married Jared Peck in June 2023 in the North Carolina mountains. They now live in Apex, North Carolina and welcomed their first child in July 2024.

Raleigh Davis ’10 continues to work with Syensqo (formerly Solvay) based in Alpharetta, Georgia, and recently transitioned to the role of product development manager, Circular and Aesthetic Solutions. In this role, Raleigh leads a team of about 20 researchers to create new specialty polymer products with a primary focus on products with sustainable content.

Class of 2011

Everett Warren ’11 is a surgical partner Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a part of the Soft Tissue and Breast Oncology Division within the Department of General Surgery. He completed medical school at UNC in 2016 followed by general surgery residency at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in 2022 and a breast surgical oncology fellowship at Brown University in 2023. His research interests include high-risk breast lesions, young women with breast cancer, health disparities and surgical education.

Class of 2012

Rachel Turner ’12 started a new job as the staff veterinarian at the Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Flordia. In this position she helps provide medical care for the more than 900 animals at the zoo, and for sick and injured wild sea turtles undergoing rehabilitation at the institution’s Sea Turtle Healing Center.

Rachel (Conley) McGuire ’12 became the education and outreach coordinator at a privately-funded natural resource research and conservation organization on 30,000 acres in southwest Georgia in Fall 2023. She, along with her husband and three spaniels, have enjoyed the increased outdoor recreation and hunting opportunities in the area!

Will Cauley ’12 moved to Fort Riley, Kansas, and assumed duties as the 1st Infantry Division Chief of Military Justice.

Class of 2013

Erin Lineberger Hines ’13 serves as the environmental educator for Gaston County’s Department of Natural Resources. She collaborates between the conservation and education communities to enhance the use of environmental education strategies across classroom, extracurricular and professional development programs.

Tyler Maloney ’13 married Jasmine Anklesaria Maloney on October 10, 2023 in Assisi, Italy. The couple are moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the next two years so Jasmine can obtain her MBA at Wharton. Tyler also became CEO of TeachMe.To in April 2024 and raised $5 million of venture capital for the company. TeachMe.To is an edtech company that offers lessons in a dozen skills across the US.

Class of 2014

William Coe ’14 is an adolescent and addiction psychiatrist at NYU and Bellevue Hospital. His work is focused on providing wraparound services in the high-risk outpatient setting. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his partner, Varuna, and dog, Sadie. Visitors welcome!

Sarah Guess ’14 is starting a new position as an assistant professor in emergency medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. She completed both family medicine and emergency medicine residencies in Greenville, South Carolina, and will bring this experience of dual training to St. Louis as an attending physician.

Wade Colburn ’14 is vice president of marketing and clinical at iotaMotion, a medical device company focused on robotic-assistance of cochlear implantation. He is living in Colorado, just outside of Denver. Wade and his wife Colette welcomed a baby boy (Wright Leland Colburn) on New Year’s Eve.

Class of 2015

Emily Scotton ’15 joined Church World Service Greensboro as a staff attorney in the Immigrant Children’s Program. In this role, she provides free immigration legal services to children who have been designated as unaccompanied minors by the Office of Refugee Resettlement and who have been subsequently released to sponsors living in one of nine Triad counties.

Selena Mau ’15 and Rusty Mau ’15 celebrated the birth of their second child, Leo. Luna (4-years-old) is loving her promotion to big sister! Selena continues to thrive as a program manager at SAS, focusing on DEI Strategic Initiatives. Rusty started a new role as a senior finance manager at Reynolds American, focusing on ESG initiatives.

Andriy Shymonyak ’15 serves as a senior program manager at the National Democratic Institute (NDI) in Washington, D.C. In his current role, Andriy supports political, civic and media partners in Eurasia to fight for democratic political processes, demand credible elections and enhance the integrity of their information space. Previously, Andriy supported 100+ programs in 51+ countries (approximately $100 million in funding) that protected fundamental freedoms, electoral processes and rights of marginalized populations. Andriy also represented NDI’s 200+ bargaining unit staff as a Union shop steward. Andriy is a 2024 Carnegie-Maxwell Public Policy Lab Fellow at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Jessica Miller Mauney ’15 is completing her seventh year working for SAS Institute as a data analyst consultant, but this year as one of those elusive digital nomads working from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She has continued her usual work during the week but on weekends and over vacation time, she has been free to travel around the area. She and her husband have visited Cambodia, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand while fully immersing themselves in the unique Malaysian culture. They returned to the United States in August 2024.

Tori (Huffman) Pierce ’15 recently graduated with her Doctor of Optometry (OD) from Southern College of Optometry. She will join the practices of Colonial Eye Care and New Kent Eye Care providing exceptional medical eye care and vision services to the communities of coastal Virginia.

Class of 2016

Leanne Nieforth ’16 is an assistant professor of human-animal interaction at the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research follows a biopsychosocial approach to identify the impacts of human-canine and human-equine interactions on both the humans and animals involved.

Liv Burton ’16 hit her seventh year at Tesla. Liv is working in residential energy helping to deploy solar and storage products across the United States. As the senior manger for process, quality and training, she manages a team of engineers and is always looking for interns! Liv and her husband (also an NC State alumni) welcomed their second child in July 2024.

Class of 2017

Amanda Sautner ’17 is a veterinarian at a Banfield Pet Hospital in Conshohocken, Pennyslvania. She is in the home stretch of obtaining her veterinary acupuncture certification to be able to provide traditional Chinese veterinary medicine services to dogs and cats.

Mikayla Raleigh ’17 is a financial advisor for her family firm, Raleigh Wealth Solutions. The company doubled in size last year and continues to set record numbers helping its select families. She is 25% owner of a company that allows the firm to access alternative investments and tax strategies for clients through her Series 7 designation. That company is the fastest growing branch of the family operation. For fun, she will be traveling to Europe for two weeks this year and be visiting Switzerland, Germany and Rome.

Ashlyn Johnson ’17 completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience from Emory University in December 2023. And she got married in November 2024!

Class of 2018

Chandler Gonzales ’18 is starting a company in manufacturing automation.

Ryen Ormesher ’18 is completing her residency in internal medicine in Denver, Colorado. She is completing research on biomarkers associated with COPD-pulmonary hypertension, and plans to pursue a fellowship in pulmonology and critical care.

Dani Winter Lay ’18 graduated from Purdue University with a Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering. Her doctoral research identified best practices for designing and managing wetland and floodplain restorations to improve water quality in watersheds with intensive agriculture. She now works to advance K-12 STEM education and workforce development programs across Indiana as an extension specialist with Purdue Extension.

Ashley Avis ’18 is a lead data scientist at the UNC Sheps Center for Health Services Research. In her free time, she recently developed a Responsible Machine Learning Plan (want to learn more? Read the plan here) to support data scientists and others implementing machine learning in using ethical and responsible methods. This plan is intended to support teams in discussing fairness, ethics and methods for building models that work for many.

Spencer Schlenker ’18 recently helped organize his workplace at a bakery. He’s currently the chief steward and represents his fellow workers as their advocate in disputes with management. After serving on the bargaining committee, he’s the first line of defense in enforcing the contract and protecting the rights of his peers. He and husband Kevin moved to Wisconsin and just purchased their first home!

Evan Brooks ’18 earned his Ph.D. in molecular and developmental biology from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His dissertation work utilized chicken and mouse embryos to study how cellular structures called primary cilia regulate facial development to better understand how craniofacial anomalies arise in the rare disease oral-facial-digital syndrome subtype 14. In September 2024, he started as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where he is investigating cellular signaling mechanisms and gene expression changes involved in facial clefting.

Sonia Su ’18 is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell University studying food science and technology under Dr. Julie Goddard. She recently was awarded a USDA NIFA Pre-doctoral fellowship for her work on the enzymatic remediation of microplastics in food, water and agriculture.

Class of 2019

Rachel Nagley ’19 is a data scientist turned product manager at Artemis by Nomi Health. She got engaged in Nazaré, Portugal!

Class of 2020

Eric Warren Jr. ’20 graduated from the Duke University School of Medicine in May, and is beginning his Orthopaedic Surgery residency at Emory University in Atlanta. He will be working primarily at Grady Memorial Hospital, Emory MSK Institute, Emory University Hospital and Emory University Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital.

Claire Mellott ’20 is a current Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan in health services organization and policy. They conduct research in the areas of decision and implementation science.

Kyle Fillhart ’20 is moving back to his hometown of Suffolk, Virginia after spending three years working as a food service union organizer in Boston, Massachusets. After coming out as trans and marrying his husband, Kyle is excited to move back down to southern Virginia to be with family and pursue local organizing efforts.

Claire Mellott ’20 is a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan studying health services organization and policy. Their research focuses on family health and well-being and clinical guidelines, using methodology from implementation and decision science.

Class of 2021

Hannah Cooper ’21 began a graduate program in environmental science and technology at the University of Maryland in Fall 2024. She will be studying the effectiveness of community-based social marketing approaches on tree stewardship and urban tree health.

Elijah Bouma-Sims ’21 is a Ph.D. student at Carnegie Mellon in societal computing. His research focuses on online safety with an emphasis on the needs of at-risk groups.

Carley-Martin MacFarlane ’21 is an assistant in the CVM Terry Companion Animal Center, and will begin her first year of veterinary school in August 2024 at NC State. She is excited to continue to work towards her civilian and military career goals in animal medicine.

Class of 2022

Shevani Mehta ’22 has one year left of law school at UVA School of Law and will be moving to Denver, Colorado, after graduating to focus on renewable energy work.

Beth Rodgers ’22 has completed her second year of teaching at Green Level High School. This year she worked on launching the new AP precalculus curriculum and continued working with the honors math 2 team. 97.3% of her AP Precalc students earned a 3 or higher on the inaugural AP exam. She plans to help Green Level students start a speech and debate team in the fall and enjoys hosting epidemiology club events.

Class of 2023

Katelyn McInerney ’23 is a Ph.D. student at UNC Chapel Hill in the bioinformatics and computational biology program. She is currently studying statistical genetics and working on statistical methods development, and she will be traveling with her lab this summer to Austria for the International Conference on Quantitative Genetics.

Shannon Carney ’23 was named Student Teacher of the Year for the state of North Carolina for her student teaching at Millbrook High School in Spring 2023.

Siddharth Samal ’23 completed his first year in his master’s program, aerospace engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In Summer 2024, he completed an internship at Raytheon Technologies, where he designed an aerospace vehicle model configuration service that helps groups in the United States military develop strategic missions and manage the logistics of large assets.

Nicolas Allen Muecke ’23 started a new position at Boeing as a Flammability Materials, Processes and Physics Engineer based in Seattle, Washington.

Megan Cislo ’23 started medical school at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine in July.