But the scholarship has grown immensely in financial benefit since its inception. The stories of two recipients, one in 2024 and one in 1975, show its impact over 50 years and for the future.

Shaping her experience

In March, second-year Doctor of Pharmacy student Kassidy Johnson was lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak or walk because of a severe concussion caused by a car crash. While she recovered, she found a new level of support from her peers and professors at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

“The professors were very approachable. They moved their schedules around so I could come in to take the tests or take tests online,” Johnson said. “They were very understanding, and I could tell that they just really cared about me.”

Though she still faces months of rehab, Johnson’s grit and determination got her caught up on her studies. She’s now back in the classroom ready to take on the remainder of her training, showing the tenacity that helped her earn the Fonnie Jackson Andrews scholarship in fall 2024.

The scholarship is one of the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy’s signature Blouin scholars program awards. It will cover Johnson’s tuition for all four years of the program, an international rotation with the Global Pharmacy Scholars program in her fourth year, and professional development opportunities throughout her time at the school.

“This scholarship has freed me so that I do not have to work while I’m going through this program,” she said.

Johnson practiced as a doula before pharmacy school, so she is interested in learning more about options in obstetrics, pediatrics or neonatology. “We have two faculty members that we can go to for, really, anything. The scholarship has really shaped my experience here as a whole.”

Setting up sustainable income

Dan Dalton ’76 ’80 (MS) was the very first recipient of the Fonnie Jackson Andrews award in 1975. A first-generation college student putting himself through pharmacy school on the work-study program, Dalton used the award to set up a sustainable income as a photographer to pay for the rest of his education.

Dalton spent the funds at Foister’s Camera Store on Franklin Street, augmenting and upgrading his photography equipment. Throughout his time at UNC, he photographed events and special functions for the school as well as student organizations, fraternities and sororities — even wedding photos for his classmates.

“Being creative helped me make connections that created ideas,” Dalton said. “That same creativity and curiosity, amplified over various personal and professional moments throughout my post-college experience, led to the culmination of being recruited back to my alma mater 27 years later.”

In 2007, Dalton played a pivotal part in launching, and later expanding, the UNC Hemophilia Treatment Center Pharmacy. He continued this work for 15 years, guiding and managing a program that now covers not only the University’s center, but also the four other federally recognized hemophilia treatment centers in North Carolina.

After a long career of varying roles in pharmacy, Dalton now does consulting work. He’s also still practicing photography, recently venturing into videography.

Johnson and Dalton are connected across five decades by the Fonnie Jackson Andrews scholarship, an award that has grown in worth and impact. Scholarships like this one are made possible thanks to the generous support of donors. If you would like to support PharmD student scholarships, reach out to Regina Craven, PharmD program director of development, at cravenra@unc.edu.

Read more about Johnson and Dalton.

Her dad served in the U.S. Marine Corps for 13 years and as a police officer for five. Her mom, her “biggest role model,” works for a Veterans Affairs hospice center.

Zimmerman, who will receive her Master of Public Administration degree at Carolina’s Winter Commencement ceremony Dec. 14, is carrying on that public service mission in her own way. She earned her degree from the UNC School of Government while working full-time as an economic development specialist for Franklin County.

“My mom puts her life and soul into her work and cares about her patients,” Zimmerman said. “It’s the same with me when I’m meeting with a small business owner who’s telling me their whole life story and why they’re doing what they do. They put their blood, sweat and tears into a business, and I’m going to do everything I can to help them succeed. I’m very passionate about local government and how that government continues to serve the community.”

Zimmerman graduated from UNC Greensboro in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science. Her studies helped her discover a love for policy and conflict management, something that inspired her to study abroad in Germany and South Korea. Then she decided to go to graduate school, earning a dual master’s degree from UNCG in peace and conflict studies and international development.

After graduating, Zimmerman interned for Special Olympics North Carolina, then worked for the City of Oxford as an executive administrative assistant, then a communications specialist and later a downtown development main street director.

In February 2024, Zimmerman took on her current economic development role, focusing on business recruitment and retention, and community and workforce development initiatives. She supports local businesses and economic development efforts in Franklin County, showing employers why it is an attractive place to grow.

“I’m very much community minded; I love people. So, for me, economic development isn’t necessarily about the businesses. It’s about the people behind the businesses,” said Zimmerman. “I would say my sweet spot is working with small businesses and local shops because hearing their stories is what motivates me to be better at what I do.”

Zimmerman said the MPA program takes a deep dive into the practical side of what she does each day and puts it into perspective of why government is very important. “The classes I enjoyed the most were leadership development and organizational theory of open government management. All my classes shaped my understanding and eagerness to continue forward with becoming a city manager or working in management in some type of fashion.”

Zimmerman hopes to use her new skills to become a city manager one day.

“The program has helped me feel more confident going into different situations and being able to handle a situation no matter what it is, whether it’s dealing with a business or with the public,” said Zimmerman. “I’ve also gained more knowledge in terms of North Carolina laws that the state uses, general statutes and what is expected of local employees.”

Wherever she goes, she’ll carry on the lessons learned from her family.

“That’s where I see my life having meaning and where I see the best place for me to raise my voice to help other people,” said Zimmerman. “My family has instilled public service in me since I was a kid. Now, it motivates me because I think the community deserves to have good public officials.”

He was accepted and became an accomplished neurosurgeon.

Now 90, Kelly ’59 (MD) sometimes wondered about finishing his bachelor’s degree. “I was the only person in my medical school class who didn’t have the degree. Quite frankly, I wanted to be an alumnus of the University of North Carolina,” he said. He was even willing to attend class on campus.

Chancellor Lee H. Roberts heard about Kelly’s long-held wish and asked Lauren DiGrazia, associate provost and University registrar, to look into fulfilling that wish. Her staff determined Kelly’s academic record matched 1955 requirements for a Bachelor of Science in chemistry.

His wish has been granted.

On Dec. 14, Kelly will put on a Carolina Blue cap and gown, then join younger graduates at Winter Commencement. His diploma will read “Class of 1955.”

From age 12, Kelly wanted to become a doctor. He took a step toward that goal after graduating as valedictorian of Winston-Salem’s Reynolds High School by enrolling at Carolina in fall 1953 with enough college credits to be a sophomore. He was named to the National Honor Society and Phi Beta Kappa. By spring 1955, 20-year-old Kelly needed one class to graduate.

Kelly (seen here on the far left; fourth row down) with his 1959 School of Medicine class. (Submitted photo)

He knew that Carolina’s medical school had open spots for superior students with three years of accredited college work. “I thought if I could gain two years in my professional career, that would be smart. That’s why I sought early entrance to medical school,” Kelly said.

The admissions board, concerned by his age, denied him admission. But the school’s dean, Dr. Walter Berryhill, heard about Kelly and wrote Reynolds principal Claude Joyner for a reference.  A week later, a phone call informed Kelly that he had been admitted.

“I didn’t know about Dr. Berryhill writing that letter until about 15 or 20 years later when Mr. Joyner visited our house for dinner,” Kelly said. “He brought the correspondence and showed it to me.”

Kelly wanted to become a family doctor. But during a third-year rotation he realized that family medicine patients often had multiple problems. “It occurred to me that to be a really good family physician, I would have to know an awful lot about cardiology, rheumatology and many other things. That didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to go into a field I could know from top to bottom and fix people,” Kelly said.

After researching medical and surgical specialties, he decided to find a neurosurgery residency. That year he also married Sarah “Sally” Kelly, who died in 2014. During their 56-year marriage, they had four children — Kathy Burnette, David Kelly ’84, Mary Brooks and Julia Ann Goins ’89.

“I’m indebted to Carolina’s medical school. My professors taught me firsthand. I learned techniques and teaching that I incorporated in training 48 surgery residents. They’ve practiced from Hawaii to the East Coast,” Kelly said.

Kelly completed residency training at Wake Forest University’s Bowman Gray School of Medicine/North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Peter Bent Brigham and Children’s Hospital, Harvard, and a neurophysiology fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the Bowman Gray faculty in 1965. He became neurosurgery chair at Wake Forest Medical Center in 1978.

A specialist in treating brain tumor and vascular disorders of the brain, Kelly was president of several national and state neurosurgical organizations. He has received the UNC School of Medicine Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award (1990), Cushing Medal for extraordinary contributions to neurosurgery (1999) and Order of the Long Leaf Pine (2015) for exemplary service to North Carolina.

Already a testicular cancer survivor, Albright ’19 was attending a remote work meeting from his parents’ home in Raleigh when he experienced blurred vision, nausea and pain on the left side of his face.

Albright had a stroke caused by the bursting of an arteriovenous malformation, an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that causes problems with the connections between arteries and veins. Doctors said the rare occurrence has a 13% survival rate.

When Albright woke up after the first of two emergency surgeries, he heard a nurse talking to him in what sounded like a different language. FaceTime video calls with his family, unable to be with him because of COVID-19 restrictions, were equally difficult to understand.

“That’s where I started learning what aphasia is,” said Albright, a former Tar Heel football player who earned a business administration degree at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Aphasia is a communication disability, most commonly caused by strokes, that affects the ability to speak, understand, read and write. “All your intelligence is in your head; you just can’t communicate,” Albright said.

Doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive and at times were skeptical about his prospects of returning to his consulting job in New York City.

But the brain is malleable, and Albright was ready to bet on himself. He went through intensive rehabilitation, a “boot camp of relearning everything.” After a year, he returned to his job while still recovering, a process marked by ups and downs and frustration but also perseverance and progress.

“I didn’t realize that it was going to be a five-year journey of just working as hard as I possibly can,” Albright said. He still has the condition, but he’s now in his second year of Duke University’s Master of Business Administration program.

Albright has been so successful at regaining his language skills that he’s created an artificial intelligence tool to aid others with aphasia.

Launched earlier this year and recently added to Apple’s App Store, AphasiaGPT is a personal speech therapy assistant that helps people rebuild communication skills through AI-powered conversations, exercises and real-world scenario practice.

During the toughest times of his recovery, Albright tried to “catch” moments of hope whenever he could. He wants AphasiaGPT to provide not only practical help but also inspiration to those in the thick of a recovery.

“Just telling them what helped my journey, it gives me so much motivation,” Albright said. “I’m like, ‘Wow, I can actually change people’s lives.’”

AI for good

AI use wasn’t mainstream during the first years of Albright’s aphasia recovery.

But by early 2023, he began using AI for tasks like simplifying text, figuring out how to best phrase his thoughts and looking up word definitions.

“I started digging in, really understanding AI and seeing what could help me,” he said.

Later, as a Duke MBA student, Albright found himself asking, “What is my passion? What do I want to do in my life?”

He realized he wanted to share the technology that was helping him with his day-to-day life with other people with aphasia.

But using AI and building it are two different things. Albright and his intern, Kashish Maheshwari, got to work.

Albright’s lived experiences influenced the tool’s layout and features:

• Word Finder: Uses a webcam to help users identify things around them and also includes a dynamic dictionary.
• Recorder: Creates summaries and to-do lists from recorded audio.
• Personalized News: Summarizes current events.
• Vocabulary Builder: Organizes a master list of words with their definitions and can generate images of terms and flashcards.
• Coach: Allows users to describe what they see in an AI-generated image either by speaking or typing and receive feedback.
• Simulation: Lets users practice conversations in specific scenarios like a party.

“Tools I wish I had five years ago,” Albright said.

Over 300 people are currently using AphasiaGPT, and Albright recently spoke about it at a large speech language pathologist conference.

These health professionals are “angels,” Albright said, and he’s glad to have received positive feedback from many on his AI innovation. He’s also returned to Carolina to speak to graduate students learning to become speech language pathologists.

“The SLPs are so excited,” he said, “and it seems like their entire world is changing just because of it.”

Dreaming big

Looking ahead, Albright is bullish on the possibility of incorporating wearable technology like Meta AI Glasses into AphasiaGPT to create a more comprehensive and interactive learning environment.

He also recently submitted an application to YCombinator, a startup accelerator and venture capital firm in San Francisco.

But Albright is proud of AphasiaGPT in its current form. The app helps others with aphasia and also aids Albright with his own recovery.

“I’ve always said I’m in a dark tunnel,” he said, “but now I’m starting to see a light.”

The production highlights nine female teens on a soccer team and the challenges that arise when navigating soccer drills, secrets and ambitions.

Pinto became involved in the production through Shelley Johnson ’06 (MA), a former Carolina assistant athletics director. Johnson reached out to Pinto about the cast needing a crash course on soccer fundamentals before the production.

Pinto left Carolina in May 2021 to start her professional soccer career in the National Women’s Soccer League with Gotham FC, finishing her classes and graduating in 2022. Now she’s in Cary playing for the North Carolina Courage, only 30 minutes from her hometown of Durham.

“I love the University. Working with UNC is really inspiring to me because it’s given so much to me and created some of the best opportunities in my life,” said Pinto. “I hope to now give back to the University for other students.”

After a road game, she went straight from the airport to Hooker Fields, where she met eight cast members and three understudies for the first cast meeting.

The cast needed to learn how to play soccer while also looking like natural, experienced players. Some cast members had never kicked a soccer ball before and didn’t want that to overshadow the performance or dialogue.

“We wanted the cast to have fun, begin the team-building process, level up their soccer skills and provide them with a few small wins in the skill-building department,” said Johnson. “This was not your typical first day of rehearsal. We wanted something memorable for the cast to set the tone for the work to be done and the overall experience.”

With Pinto, cast members went through a standard dynamic warmup then focused on agility skills, ball control exercises, wall passing, traveling, dribbling, throw-ins and juggling.

“The cast was super interactive and paid attention to details. It was really fascinating to see them super committed to learning each component that day,” said Pinto. “There are not many situations where I have to give instructions like a coach, but this was a little bit different because I was explaining every small detail of the skills they were learning and taught them by doing the motions. They were committed to fully embodying that role or player from not only the physical standpoint but also the mental standpoint.”

After the boot camp, the cast trained for 30 minutes every day during rehearsals, conducting a soccer style warmup, ball control and agility exercises, along with practicing specific passing drills that the script required. During the run of show, the cast warmed up athletically and theatrically.

Pinto says the experience helped her understand the arts’ cultural aspects along with the detail and why little movements matter. It brought her back to a drama course she took in 2020, when she also went to her first PlayMakers show.

“It’s cool how much variety they have in the PlayMakers plays. The fact that they’re doing something in sports is also unique,” said Pinto. “It’s a credit to the actors. They’re doing complex movements within a tight space on turf on stage. Being able to control the ball after one crash course and look like a real soccer player in a tight space is impressive.”

“This view,” he says. “It just doesn’t get better than this. I still pinch myself every time.”

(Submitted photo)

Game day in Chapel Hill is different for Renner, starting quarterback for the Tar Heels from 2011 to 2013. He’s now in his second year providing color commentary for football games on the Tar Heel Sports Network alongside play-by-play announcer Jones Angell. While his vantage point has changed, one thing remains the same.

“I still get butterflies when I walk into the stadium,” he said. “The energy, the fans, the music playing — it still feels the same as when I would show up to play. I love that I still get to come and see some of the same people who were here when I played and talk about how great this place is.”

Getting behind the mic every Saturday has brought Renner’s football career full circle. A three-sport athlete in high school, the native of West Springfield, Virginia, committed to playing both football and baseball at Carolina. The four-star recruit eventually focused solely on the gridiron but spent his first two years on the bench.

“Honestly, it was one of the most humbling experiences, and it made me a better leader. It helped me mature,” Renner said. “These days, so many athletes come and go when things don’t go their way. But I stuck it out, and it paid off. It’s part of the journey and part of college sports. It’s what defines you.”

When he finally did play, he broke school records for passing accuracy and touchdowns in multiple seasons. After a season-ending shoulder injury his senior year, he bounced between a handful of NFL practice squads, including the Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I got my Ph.D. at being a pro. I had the opportunity to be around and learn from great people, like Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger,” he said. “I soaked up every second.”

In 2017, inspired by his father’s 40-year football coaching career, Renner became director of recruiting and defensive backs coach at Florida International University. Renner and the FIU football staff were let go in 2021, after a losing season.

“For 30 years, my life had pretty much been all about football. I had never stepped away from the sport in my entire life,” he said. “For the first time, I had to step back and consider, ‘What do I really want to do?’”

Renner credits his time as a student-athlete and the Carolina community for helping him prepare for life after football.

“They say it’s a four-year commitment but a 40-year decision, and I think I’m living proof of that,” he said. “Football can take you places, but when real life comes at you, it’s about the relationships and the community you built while you were in school. And that means so much to me.”

(@GoHeels/Miles McQuinn)

Tar Heel teammate Nick Wiler helped Renner transition to a job as account executive at software company KLDiscovery, focusing on sales and business development. Renner pulls double duty, working weekdays in Washington, D.C., and commuting to Carolina games on football weekends. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Carolina is one of the most incredible communities that you can be a part of,” Renner said. “Whenever you need them, they’re always there, and I try to do the same. I lean on that education every single day in my way of life.”

This year, the 2025 Charles B. Rangel Fellow and graduate student at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies headlined two Diplomacy Week events, leading discussions on critical minerals and careers in global affairs.

“Emma’s intellectual curiosity and determination to better understand policy challenges related to critical minerals made her the obvious choice to pilot this new Diplomacy Week event,” said Barbara Stephenson, Carolina’s vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer.

Stephenson also founded the Diplomacy Initiative. “There is a bit of Emma in every part of the Diplomacy Initiative, so it is fitting that she was our first alum to return to Chapel Hill to share her expertise in this highly engaging manner.”

Launching a global journey

Sampson, from Apex, North Carolina, began her Carolina experience at the Universidad de Granada in Spain, spending her first semester abroad as a Carolina Global Launch student.

Living with a host family who spoke no English, Sampson quickly adapted to a new culture and language. The experience sparked her curiosity about the world, strengthened her resilience, and solidified her interest in diplomacy and global studies.

“Freshman year, coming back after studying abroad, I didn’t really know where my place was,” she recalled. “That version of me would be so happy — and surprised — to see where I am now.”

Back in Chapel Hill after her Global Launch, Sampson plunged into international studies and activities. She double-majored in public policy and global studies, joined the inaugural cohort of Carolina Diplomacy Fellows and became the first student ambassador for the Diplomacy Initiative. Sampson mentored peers, networked with visiting diplomats and gained hands-on experience organizing high-profile speaker events.

In May 2024, she participated in the UNC-Nagoya cybersecurity exchange, a program connecting Carolina students with peers from Nagoya University in Japan to explore cybersecurity through policy, technology and diplomacy.

“Her academic excellence, leadership and genuine commitment to public service made a lasting impact on our campus,” said Ted Leinbaugh, associate professor of English composition and literature and faculty adviser for the Carolina Forum for Education and Diplomacy, where Sampson served as secretary.

Charting a path to the Foreign Service

As a Rangel Fellow, Sampson is part of a nationally competitive program that supports future U.S. Foreign Service Officers through graduate study and professional development. She credits Carolina, and the Diplomacy Initiative in particular, for helping her discover this path.

“I really built my Carolina experience around this goal,” she said. “The Diplomacy Initiative showed me what a career in diplomacy could look like and gave me the confidence to pursue it.”

Over the summer, she worked with the Atlantic Council on global energy issues, publishing a piece on cyber, natural disaster and physical threats to Guam’s power grid. At Johns Hopkins, she’s focusing on technology and innovation in China, building on the policy work from her time at Carolina and courses that first drew her to critical minerals.

Returning to Carolina for Diplomacy Week, Sampson spoke about the importance of critical minerals, the role of diplomacy in securing them and potential policy solutions. The discussion also served as a primer for the Nov. 4 talk by Indonesian official Septian Hario Seto, which explored how critical minerals can drive sustainable development and global partnerships.

Sampson led another session on global careers, reflecting on her own path.

“As a child, she was constantly reading atlases and curious about the world,” said her mother, Sheri Sampson. “It was no surprise that this is the career path Emma chose. We are very proud of her.”

Read more about Emma Sampson.

The installation serves as a place of reflection for the courage, sacrifice and selflessness demonstrated by players, coaches and staff of the Tar Heel football program who answered the call to serve their country.

“The new memorial reflects the University’s enduring values of service and honor,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “It ensures that generations of Tar Heels will remember those who served both on the gridiron and on behalf of our great nation. We are proud to be part of recognizing their service.”

The wall includes the name, branch and years of service for each honoree, along with their position and years with the Carolina football program.

More alumni and former coaches with ties to the football program will be added to the wall in the future. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

This idea sprang from one of the first conversations Carolina football head coach Bill Belichick had with Roberts after arriving on campus in December 2024.

“It’s really an honor to be a part of anything related to honoring our veterans and military, so it’s a great privilege for me to do that on behalf of the University of North Carolina and the football program,” said Belichick. “When I met with Chancellor Roberts as I came here, we talked about a lot of things that involved supporting student athletes and recognizing people who have contributed to this football program through the years. One of the things we talked about was honoring the people in our program who have served, so I’m very proud to be part of the recognition that we are putting up here in the football building.

“We’re very appreciative of what our military does to defend our freedom,” he continued. “Thank you to all of our service members for actively helping us and those who have served in the past.”

Currently, 61 names are displayed on the wall with the intention to expand as more Carolina football alumni are identified or complete their military service.

One name soon to be added to the wall is Steve Belichick, Bill Belichick’s father, who served in the U.S. Navy for four years during World War II and then later coached in the Carolina football program for two years.

Coach Bill Belichick suggested finding more ways to honor those who have served in the armed forces during an early conversation with Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Two current Carolina football staff members are on the wall: special teams coordinator Mike Priefer and assistant director of sports performance Trent Baker. Priefer graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1989 and served in the Navy for eight years across a variety of roles, including instructor, club sports officer and football coach. Baker served with the Navy SEALs from 2001 to 2023 in roles like junior operator, operations leader and program manager.

“I’m humbled and honored to be on a wall like this. There’s a lot of history embedded with football in our nation’s history,” said Baker. “There’s lots of stories that need to be told. I’m just humbled to be there because I’m standing on the shoulders of giants, the history and warfare from Vietnam down to World War II on that wall is pretty impressive.”

Another member of the wall is Kevin Shwedo ’78, a former deputy commanding officer for the United States Army Training Center at Fort Jackson, who served in the Army for 32 years and held various leadership and development positions.

“Coach Belichick at age 2 moved to Chapel Hill, but two years later, his dad coached at the Naval Academy for 33 years. If you want to know why he has a special love for servicemen and women, it has everything to do with his growing up,” said Shwedo. “When I was playing here, my coach was Chuck Priefer, and I am honored to be on the same wall as Mike Priefer now. The fact of the matter is you never quit. Once you get out of that environment, you’ve got a competitive edge over everybody. That started here in Chapel Hill with the football team and now it’s an honor to be on that wall.”

Warren Green ’06, a former Carolina football long snapper, is also on the wall. Green has been serving for 19 years as an AH-64 Apache helicopter pilot.

“I think having the wall in the football facility is a great way to show current players that there are opportunities after football to continue being part of a team with a purpose that requires discipline, resilience and leadership qualities they’ve learned while being a student-athlete,” said Green. “UNC has always held a special place in my heart. To be recognized by the University and football program almost 20 years after graduating goes to show you are always part of the Tar Heel family. I will always be grateful for the impact the University and football program had on my life.”

Driscoll grew up in western North Carolina. Both his father and grandfather were veterans. His father, who served in Vietnam, took Driscoll to West Point when he was in elementary school, and the visit left a strong impression. “I had these dog tags made there, which I kept,” he said.

When Driscoll entered Carolina, the University’s 2004 summer reading selection also impressed him. The book was David Lipsky’s “Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point,” which tells the story of four cadets who deployed to Iraq early in the war.

He enrolled in UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. Even as an undergraduate, “Dan had a good sense of what he wanted to do with his life,” said Alison Fragale, associate professor emerita of organizational behavior and one of Driscoll’s teachers. “He wanted to serve in the military, go to law school and be in politics.”

Driscoll graduated in three years and immediately enlisted in the Army, about the time the surge in Iraq was happening. He attended basic training in South Carolina and soon after graduated from the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School in Georgia. In October 2009, he deployed to Iraq, where he saw combat and received the Army Commendation Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

He was still in Iraq when notified of his acceptance to Yale Law School. After arriving in New Haven, Driscoll met future Vice President J.D. Vance, then a Marine veteran leading the Yale Veterans Association. Vance told the group, “You’re going to feel like all these people are smarter than you. And it’s just not true. And so if you can just kind of make it through these first couple of months, you’ll settle in.”

Driscoll graduated from law school in 2014, joining BlackArch Partners, a Charlotte investment banking firm. He moved to Winston-Salem, working in venture capital and as a board member of a medical staffing agency, then later relocated with his family to Pasadena, California.

Through his connection to Vance, Driscoll joined the campaign as a senior adviser and then was tapped by the administration as Army secretary on Vance’s recommendation. The Senate confirmed Driscoll 66–28. He is the third UNC alumnus and eighth from Yale to be Army secretary. Other UNC alumni who have served as Army secretary are Kenneth Claiborne Royall (class of 1914) and Gordon Gray ’30.

“I think one of the reasons Dan’s hearing wasn’t as contentious as others is that he’s very relational,” said childhood friend and Carolina roommate Bert Ellison ’08. “He wants to reach out and meet as many people as he can and know them, and not just in terms of politics.”

Driscoll faces many challenges. In 2022 and 2023, the Army fell short of recruitment goals by 25%. Driscoll said he hopes to modernize warfighting capabilities and improve the quality of life for soldiers and their families.

Will he succeed?

“I’ll always bet on Dan Driscoll because Dan’s a really smart guy who’s also really kind and humble at heart,” said Fragale, who wrote his law-school recommendation and attended his wedding. “He doesn’t have a big ego. He can look at a situation and say that it doesn’t have to be this way and be creative about figuring it out.”

Read more about Driscoll.

Chris Lance with his daughter Vivian. (Submitted photo)

Vivian’s father, Chris Lance, loves that his eldest daughter has been able to see so much of the world, but there are downsides to all of that traveling, too. After 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, Lance is grateful that Vivian and his whole family are now finally establishing firm roots in one place: Chapel Hill.

Lance became Carolina’s executive director of facilities operations in August. “I’m able to transition into a new stage of my life, and there’s no better place to do it than here at UNC-Chapel Hill,” he said.

Already, the town and University have begun to feel like home to him, his wife, Kori, and their daughters Vivian, Eleanor and Genevieve. As daughter Vivian told him, “Dad, I’ve seen the world. Now, I want to see the same thing for a little while.”

Lance’s new role at Carolina is a familiar one for him. He held leadership roles in facilities services for most of his time in the Air Force and most recently managed a team of 1,300 military and civilian personnel at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas.

Lance previously served as director of installation support at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, Tennessee. He also led large-scale construction programs in the Middle East as director of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Project Management Office.

The Lance family. (Submitted photo)

As Lance prepared to retire from the Air Force this year, the role at Carolina felt like a natural fit.

“I was entertaining other institutions, but UNC was always my top pick, and this is coming from a guy who’s lived all over the world and all over the country and had no prior ties in North Carolina,” he said. “North Carolina is known for being a phenomenal higher education institution, and people know it everywhere. They know the quality of the education you get when you come to UNC.

“I wanted to be part of something that was the best, and UNC is one of the best universities out there.”

At Carolina, Lance oversees a team of more than 800 employees responsible for the operations, maintenance, cleaning and repairs of 18 million-plus square feet of academic buildings, research facilities and residence halls.

The job doesn’t differ much from past ones he’s held.

“Whether you’re on an Air Force base or whether you’re on a college campus, HVAC systems don’t care what kind of building they’re in,” Lance said, laughing. “The lights and plumbing fixtures don’t care, either.”

Lance said the Carolina community has been welcoming to him, and he’s enjoying living in North Carolina, especially watching the leaves change color this fall. The son of Bob Lance, also an Air Force veteran, Lance was born in Turkey and has lived in 13 cities scattered across the world.

Lance was deployed in Iraq when Vivian was born in 2008.  Now she is applying to colleges in North Carolina — including UNC-Chapel Hill — and younger sisters Eleanor and Genevieve can finally have continuity with their schooling, as well.

“We love the area, love the school, love the people, and we hope to stick around for quite some time,” Lance said. “My family and I really want a place that we can put down roots and call home. Before, if you asked my daughters where they’re from, they would say ‘nowhere.’ Hopefully now they can say, ‘I’m from North Carolina.’”