Staff Spotlights

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.

When Joshua Wood graduated from UNC Charlotte in 2016, he expected to be closing the book on his time with the University. But when a job opened up back at the University, Wood applied. He’s been back at Charlotte ever since.

Paul Holliday-Millard has been at UNC Charlotte since 2015. In that time, he has held multiple different positions, earned his doctorate and ultimately found his way to the Student Affairs Research and Assessment (SARA) team.

Ashley McAlarney is director of the UNC Charlotte Student Legal Services, Inc. (SLS), a nonprofit law firm that opened last year in the Popp Martin Student Union. Current students who have paid their student activity fee can now receive confidential legal advice and learn about their legal rights.

When Chris Washington was an undergrad at Louisiana State University, his plan was to become a meteorologist. Now, as UREC’s assistant director for open recreation, Washington’s favorite part of the job is his ability to make a difference, both on the University and in interactions with students.

Tierra O’Garra started her role as administrative assistant for the office of Fraternity and Sorority Life (OFSL) in July 2021. She has only been at UNC Charlotte for just over a year, but O’Garra has already made an impact on her peers.

The journey to a career in student affairs was an unexpected one for Donovan Cyrus. After nearly two years as a assistant residence hall director at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, Cyrus came to UNC Charlotte as a residence education coordinator for Housing and Residence Life (HRL).

Maintenance jobs can sometimes go unnoticed. But Randy Barnhill maintenance technician at the Popp Martin Student Union, had his efforts recognized at the Student Affairs End-of-Year Celebration in May with the Above and Beyond Award for facilities support.

Nicole Piscitelli began her time as Charlotte's new Student Health Center director back in February, but she has been able to see the growth of the University over her nearly two decades of experience in the UNC system.