Staff Spotlights

In June of 2017, Maksymowski accepted a job at UNC Charlotte as an assistant director for the Center for Leadership Development, now called Leadership & Community Engagement. Seven years later, Maksymowski is not only the interim director, but also an award winner.

Mikala Harvey was one of five UNC Charlotte faculty and staff members to earn an employee of the year honor, but that was not the only award she won in the spring: Harvey also earned the Rising Star Award at the Student Affairs end-of-year celebration.

In less than two years of working at UNC Charlotte, Alexis Rice is already being recognized for her outstanding contributions to the Health and Wellbeing department, earning Rookie of the Year at the Student Affairs end-of-year awards.

Growing up, Stephanie Rewitzer thought she knew exactly what career she was going to pursue. But eventually things changed, and now she has a new pursuit, which has become fully realized at UNC Charlotte.

Adam Burden wasn’t expecting to receive the 2022-2023 Student Affairs Outstanding Program/Initiative Award for the "Light Up the Lake" program. But, when he found out he had won, he attributed the victory to the support from the people around him.

If being a cheerleader involves stepping up, working together as a team and supporting one another, Ayanna Morrison is UNC Charlotte’s cheerleader when it comes to student and staff support.

Risk-taking was not always the strength of Kristin Coffey, Venture Outdoor Leadership’s associate director. But she said that is more of a strength than a weakness when it comes to her position. However, for Coffey to get into this career path altogether, it ultimately involved taking a risk.

When Jordan Slomianyj isn't in Witherspoon Hall, he has traveled to around 70 countries spanning all across the globe. He took that to new extremes on a recent expedition to Antarctica, a trip that earned Slomianyj the honor of visiting every continent before the age of 35.

Chris Smith’s journey to becoming UNC Charlotte’s new associate vice chancellor for student affairs with health and wellbeing started at a conference he attended as a college undergraduate. He said this new opportunity at Charlotte feels like an amalgamation of everything that came prior.

For 35 years, Bill Ballinger drove past UNC Charlotte on his way to work at a nearby chemical business. It wasn’t until June of 2022 that Ballinger parked himself at the University in Housing and Residence Life as an inventory technician.