2023 Class of Leadership Wilmington

Hot Deals Member To Member Deals

Carson Porter

Wilmington Hammerheads Youth FC

Executive Director

McKay Siegel

East West Partners

Project Manager

Amy Schaefer

Lee Kaess, PLLC

Attorney

Ashley Wells

University of North Carolina Wilmington

Associate School Director, School of Health and Applied Human Sciences

I serve in the role of Associate School Director for Quality Assurance and Associate Professor of Practice in the School of Health and Applied Human Sciences within the College of Health and Human Services at UNCW. In this role I support our faculty, students, and staff with program development and quality assurance, community engagement strategy, and DEI goals. Prior to this role I served as the inaugural Assistant Dean for Community Engagement in the College of Health and Human Services at UNCW. I began my professional journey in 2005 at the University of Georgia and am a proud triple-Dawg, having earned three degrees from my beloved alma matter! I am thrilled to now be in North Carolina and enjoy all that our coastal environment has to offer!

Brian Rector

Coastal Beverage Co., Inc.

CFO

Corey Douglas

Clancy & Theys Construction Company

Project Manager

Zedrick Applin

nCino OpCo, Inc.

Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Community

I currently serve as the Head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Community for nCino. In my role, I am in charge of our corporate DEI strategy & implementation, as well as all community service and philanthropy.

Heather McWhorter

UNCW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Executive Director

Heather is the Director of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) (uncw.edu/cie). CIE nurtures high-impact startups with education, connections, and incubation and collision space, and accelerates the entrepreneurial ecosystem in southeastern North Carolina as a vibrant hub of innovation.

Josh Hallingse

Wilmington Chamber of Commerce

VP, Small Business Retention & Expansion

Suzanne Jalot

WARM NC

Chief Development Officer

Graham Elmore

Vantaca

Director of People + Culture

Graham Elmore is the Director of People + Culture at Vantaca. Vantaca is a fast-growing, Wilmington based, fintech company that provides a cloud-based software solution that supports over 20,000 homeowner associations and 2.5 million homeowners. As the Director of People + Culture, Graham supports and drives initiatives that provide a world-class employee experience.

Prior to working with Vantaca, Graham spent over a decade as an educator in the roles of Teacher, Coach, Assistant Principal, and Principal for New Hanover County Schools.

Graham is a two-time graduate of UNC Wilmington and holds a Masters of School Administration and an undergraduate degree in Middle Grades Education, with a concentration in Math and Science. Graham is also a North Carolina Principal Fellow and North Carolina Teaching Fellow.

Tony Hamric

Liberty Senior Living

Financial Manager

Erin Easton

Cape Fear Community College

Workforce Training Coordinator

Kevin Crane

WHQR Public Radio 91.3 FM

General Manager

Marien Stark

Live Oak Bank

Business Banking Manager

Amber Walters Burnette

Monteith Construction Corp.

Marketing Manager

Alex Bouknight

The Carousel Center

Finance Manager

Matt Bramstedt

LS3P Associates LTD.

Architect + K-12 Sector Leader

William Brown

GE Aerospace

Lead Manufacturing Specialist

Paul Ragan

GE Hitachi

Sr Quality Manager - Business Process Management

Paul Ragan is a Wilmington, NC native and attended Laney High School. After earning his Industrial Engineering degree from North Carolina State University, he relocated back to Wilmington to begin his career with GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy. He has held various roles within GE Nuclear and is currently a Senior Quality Manager, Business Process Management supporting the advanced nuclear business. Paul & his wife Katie have two children, Trey (12) and Rebecca (8).

As a Wilmington native, Paul is excited to learn about initiatives and efforts impacting the city and engage in service that will help benefit the community that played a huge part of his life.

Matthew Tulipani

Piedmont Service Group

Business Development

Patrice Faison

New Hanover County Schools

Chief Academic Officer

I am the Chief Academic Officer for New Hanover County Schools. My primary responsibilities include overseeing academic programs and policies. Before this role, I served as an Executive Leadership Coach for Wake County Schools. I am currently in my twenty-seventh year in education. Throughout my career, I have found pleasure in serving my community by enhancing students’ lives.

Kirsti Smith-Reives