Staff Spotlights

Higher education is not just a job for Milan Novaković the training and development specialist for Housing and Residence Life at UNC Charlotte, it is a calling rooted in curiosity, community and a deep belief in people.

For anyone who has walked around campus, chances are they’ve seen a design or two from Benjamin Moten and the creative services team. As a leader in the creative services space, Moten feels it’s not just about producing designs worth showing, but making sure the team of designers feels supported.

For more than 30 years, Lucian Wilhelm has been a constant piece of the process for reserving spaces on UNC Charlotte’s campus. What started as a student employment opportunity eventually turned into a full-time career for Wilhelm, the current senior associate director for CRES.

For Elizabeth Beattie, returning to UNC Charlotte was not just a career move: It was a meaningful continuation of the personal transformation that began when she transferred to the University years ago.

For Joshua Boyd, helping people combat food insecurity isn’t just a passion for him, it hits home too. Boyd has been at UNC Charlotte since 2022, rejoining the Dean of Students office in December 2024 as program director of basic needs.

When she is not treating UNC Charlotte students as a physician with Student Health, Dr. Kisha Young helps others in need access medication and more through NC MedAssist, a volunteer role she has held for more than 15 years. Her efforts earned her the Joyce Award for Excellence in Volunteerism.

Donny Edwards earned a Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (VCSA) Award for his efforts surrounding the construction of Wilson Hall at last year’s divisional awards ceremony, a moment that felt like the final chapter of a six-year project that took up more than half of his tenure so far.

From a first-generation graduate to now leading first-generation students to success, Shayauna Newsom has a personal connection to the program they’ve piloted, and is now being acknowledged for it.

Carla Hines has been on campus for 21 years, and as she nears the end of her UNC Charlotte tenure, her hard work for the University earned Hines the Niner Legacy Award at last spring’s Student Affairs End-of-Year Awards.

Being front and center is something Jordan Bullington-Miller isn’t used to. In her day-to-day life, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. But this past spring, Bullington-Miller stepped to the forefront as the 2023-24 Behind-the-Scenes Award winner for the Division of Student Affairs.