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UNC Greensboro Foundation

The UNC Greensboro Foundation’s mission is to champion UNCG students and connect them with the resources and opportunities that will transform their lives. We envision a Board that leads the wider community to invest in every UNCG student’s success and build a foundation for lifelong connectivity.

In 1966, 42 local business and civic leaders joined forces to establish The Excellence Fund, Inc. as a North Carolina nonprofit. The charter stated that the fund would “promote, by financial assistance and otherwise, excellence in higher education, service, and research in the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.”

In the following years, the Excellence Fund grew, both in contributions and program support for the University. After a multi-year campaign to raise $1 million, the fund reached its initial goal in 1973.

Today this organization manages approximately $150 million in combined revenue and assets. Going through a few name changes over the years, The Excellence Fund, Inc. is now legally recognized as The UNCG Excellence Foundation Inc., and locally referred to as the UNC Greensboro Foundation.

The UNCG Excellence Foundation, Inc. is exempt from federal income tax under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations to The UNCG Excellence Foundation, Inc. are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

Our Mission

To champion UNCG students and connect them with the resources and opportunities that will transform their lives.

Our Vision

A Board that leads the wider community to invest in every UNCG student’s success and build a foundation for lifelong connectivity.

Goal 1 | Strengthening Board relationships and communication with current students

Strategies

• Build an annual plan for intentional engagement between Board members and students.
• Add two student representatives as ex-officio members of the Board.

Goal 2 | Increasing Board engagement in donor calls, prospecting, and stewardship

Strategies

• Achieve 100% Board participation in annual giving and the comprehensive campaign.
• Leverage Board members to identify community members and businesses that could be strong partners for student projects and philanthropy.
• Re-imagine Stewardship Committee to operate as a Development Committee.

Goal 3 | Expanding Board capacity, development knowledge, and connectivity

Strategies

• Repurpose volunteer handbook created for the campaign to be shared with Foundation Board members that includes practical tips and approaches to help Board members engage with donors.
• Better understand and leverage the strengths of Foundation Board members through the creation of an interactive member directory.
• Create at least three opportunities throughout the year to bring the Foundation Board together for activities outside of business meetings.

Officers

The foundation board has four standing committees: the Executive Committee, the Governance Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee, and the Stewardship Committee. The president of the foundation serves as a non-voting member of all board committees.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is composed of the board chair, a board vice-chair, the secretary, the chairs of each standing committee, and other directors appointed by the board. The Executive Committee has the power to transact all regular business of the foundation during the interim between the meetings of the board, subject to any limitations that may be set forth in the foundation’s bylaws.

Committee members

Brad Morton, Committee Chair
Carrie Stewart
Justin Outling
Sarah Shoffner
Dolores Davis Paylor
Terri Maultsby
Lascel Webley

Governance Committee

The Governance Committee is composed of a board vice-chair and other directors appointed by the board. It oversees the overall effectiveness of the foundation’s governance structure, committee structure, governance documents, committee charters, and governance procedures. The Governance Committee also oversees the foundation’s Conflict of Interest Policy and succession planning for officers and committee chairs; recommends a slate of officers annually; and recommends any new board members.

Committee Members

Justin Outling, Committee Chair
Linda Higgins
Terri Maultsby
Linda Knight Carr
Jennifer Morris
Lisa Johnson

Finance and Audit Committee

The Finance and Audit Committee is composed of directors appointed by the board. The treasurer also serves as a non-voting member of this committee. The Finance and Audit Committee manages, invests, and reinvests for the operating assets of foundation endowment funds that are not designated with The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Investment Fund, Inc. and makes recommendations for any actions that are necessary to the board. The Finance and Audit Committee also plans the foundation’s annual operating budget; controls the receipt and acceptance of irrevocable gifts sponsored by the foundation; is responsible for selecting the independent CPA firm and receiving the annual audit report of the CPA firm; and ensures that the foundation is employing sound fiscal and business principles in the management of its finances and operations.

Committee members

Lascel Webley, Committee Chair
Mike Smith
Mesha Kemp
Alan Overbey
Bev Cleveland

Development Committee

The Development Committee is composed of directors appointed by the board. The Development Committee serves as a resource to the Foundation in its efforts to communicate, fundraise, steward, and engage alumni, friends, donors, and potential supporters.

Committee Members

Carrie Stewart, Committee Chair
Rebecca Smith
Erin Mosley
Jason Caldwell
Julie Holderness Shaw
Cathy Tisdale
Gregory Reynald Williams
Martha Thompson

Board Members

Members of the Board of Directors are appointed for a three-year term from July 1 through June 30 of the third year.

BRAD MORTON

Brad Morton is a certified public accountant and has more than 25 years of finance, accounting, and management experience. He is a partner and an investment committee member of Salem Investment Partners. Previously, he served as a member of NextGen CFO, providing CFO services for small- to medium-sized businesses. Prior to that, he was an executive at LabCorp serving on the company’s management, operating, compliance, and disclosure committees. He began his career at KPMG.

Brad Morton is the sitting chair of the UNC Greensboro Foundation.

JUSTIN OUTLING

Justin Outling ’05 is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion and a partner at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, L.L.P. Justin, a former Greensboro City Council member, is an alumna of UNC Greensboro and the Duke University School of Law. Prior to joining Brooks Pierce, Justin served as a federal law clerk to Judge William L. Osteen, Jr. of the Middle District of North Carolina in Greensboro. Subsequently, Justin practiced law at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton L.L.P. in New York City, where he represented financial institutions and multi-national corporations in securities and other complex litigation, as well as in criminal and regulatory matters. From 2018 to 2023, Justin and his wife, Cora, served as co-chairs of the Board of Visitors for UNC Greensboro.

Justin Outling is the sitting chair of the UNC Greensboro Foundation.

DOLORES DAVIS PAYLOR

Dolores Davis Paylor ’79 has served North Carolina as a teacher and administrator for 40 years, and in 2018, she was honored by the state with a Marvin Pittman Champions of Education Award. She holds four degrees, including two master’s and a PhD. Currently, she serves on UNCG’s Guarantee Scholars and Human Environmental Science (now HHS) boards, and is a member of several other organizations. Her aim is to leave an indelible mark as a lifelong learner and community advocate for children, young adults, and families.

Dolores Davis Paylor is the sitting secretary of the UNC Greensboro Foundation.

BETH N. FISCHER

Beth N. Fischer is UNCG’s vice chancellor for University Advancement. Prior to joining the Spartan family in 2018, she was the executive director for University Development at UNC Charlotte, where she designed and directed the UNC Charlotte $218M Exponential Comprehensive Campaign. Beth was selected by the Charlotte Business Journal as a “40 Under 40” award winner in 2009 and subsequently received the “Women in Business” award in 2017. In 2020, she received the Triad Business Journal’s “Women in Business” award. She is an active member of Women Executives and Women’s Professional Forum and she serves on the North Carolina Gift Planning Board.

As president of the UNC Greensboro Foundation, Beth Fischer serves as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the board.

JASON CALDWELL

Jason Caldwell ’03 is the founder and senior consultant for Ubuntu Consulting and a full-time adjunct professor in the Department of Management at North Carolina A&T State University. He previously served as NCAT’s interim assistant dean for Student Success, appointed by the dean of the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics, and as community college strategic partnership manager for Western Governors University North Carolina. Jason is also the former executive director of Degrees Matter, a Guilford County initiative focused on postsecondary degree completion.

BRYAN CHAPMAN

Bryan Chapman is an executive leader and a current vice president of merchandising at Kontoor Brands, Inc. He is responsible for the product segmentation and go-to-market strategies for the Wrangler Traditional Business Unit in the North American market. In 2008, he relocated from New Jersey to North Carolina and immediately became an active member within the Triad community. He became a “Big” at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Piedmont, and in 2016, he joined the organization’s Board of Directors, where he still serves.

Bryan Chapman is the sitting secretary of the UNC Greensboro Foundation.

BEV CLEVELAND

Bev Cleveland is the Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President of Finance accountable for financial oversight for Cone Health Medical Group (CHMG) and Triad Healthcare Network (THN) under the Cone Health System. In addition, Bev oversees the financial operations for THN, an Accountable Care Organization, projecting operating revenues of over $45 Million for the fiscal year 2023. Bev is a recipient of Triad Business Journal’s Women in Business Award and has served in numerous community outreach efforts and local boards, including the recent Board Chair for Guilford-High Point American Heart Association. Bev is married to Odell Cleveland and is the proud mother of three sons and two grandchildren.

LINDA HIGGINS

Linda Higgins ’72 was president and co-founder of One Design Center, a Greensboro interior design and space planning firm. Since closing the company with fellow UNCG alumnae Cyndi Folds and Anne Bowers in 2016, she offers services as an independent commercial interior design consultant. Linda served on the UNCG HES Foundation Board for more than 20 years, and was recognized as an Outstanding Alumni by receiving the HES (now HHS) Pacesetter Award. She was a charter member of the Construction Professionals Network (CPN) of North Carolina, and in 2008 CPN honored her with an Outstanding Service Award.

LISA JOHNSON

Lisa Johnson worked in marketing and management at IBM for more than 12 years before starting her event planning and design consulting business. Active in her community, she currently is serving her second term on the Weatherspoon Art Museum Advisory Board of Directors as secretary and on the executive committee. She has served for six years on the boards of the Music Academy of North Carolina and GreenHill, and she is past president of both boards. She has been involved with fundraising and chaired committees for many organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Greensboro Day School, Episcopal High School, and the Junior League.

MESHA BOND KEMP

Mesha Bond Kemp ’95 is the Chief of Staff for Silicon Valley Bank, A Division of First Citizens Bank. In addition to her Chief of Staff responsibilities, she also is Head of Strategy & Operations. Mesha has a commitment to diversity recruiting and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. She has been both a sponsor and speaker for Women in Leadership, Women in Information Technology, Military and Spouse Employee Resource Groups, Simmons Leadership for Women and a sponsor and company recruiter for National Society for Black Engineers (NSBE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). Mesha is a proud US Air Force wife with four children.

TERRI MAULTSBY

Terri Maultsby is a former teacher, with experience at the Green Vale School (New York), Canterbury School, and Greensboro Day School. After retiring from K-12 education in 2013, she completed certification for health coaching and yoga instruction. Today, her business Think.Eat.Grow. provides wellness education programs, classes on healthy eating habits, and cooking instruction.

JENNIFER MEE MORRIS

Jennifer Mee Morris ’86 is an international flight attendant with United Airlines and the former director of marketing and sales for Paces Construction Company in Atlanta, Georgia. She currently serves on the UNCG Alumni Leadership Board as vice president and as an executive committee member, and she has served as chair of the University’s Alumni Engagement Committee and as a member of its executive committee. Her volunteerism has also extended to the Sandy Springs Education Force, at her local public high school, where she has aided as a student mentor through the program Students Achieving in Life.

ALAN OVERBEY

Alan Overbey ’86 is the leader of Kismet, a CEO/business owner peer group in the North Carolina Triad. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Banyan Consulting Group, an employee benefits consulting firm operating in Greensboro, Raleigh, and Charlotte, NC. He has served on the UNCG Bryan School of Business Advisory Board since 2020. He was also appointed to the United Way of Greater Greensboro Board and chaired the Tocqueville Society campaign with his wife Lovelle ’91, ’04, ’08 MA. Alan and Lovelle have two sons and one Boykin Spaniel.

SARAH SHOFFNER

Sarah Shoffner ’62, ’64, ’77 PHD is professor emerita of the UNCG School of Health and Human Sciences, and she currently serves on three panels with the University’s Alumni Association board – the Alumni House Committee, the Vanguard Leadership Council, and the Woman’s College Tribute Project Committee. She is past president of the Human Environmental Sciences (HES) Foundation Board of Directors, and she now serves on the Executive Committee of the Excellence Foundation and the HES Legacy Committee. She received the Distinguished Alumna Award from the School of HES in 2006, and in 2013 UNCG recognized her with a Women of Distinction Award.

CARRIE HAGAN STEWART

Carrie Hagan Stewart is a life-long Greensboro resident. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, she returned to Greensboro to pursue a commercial banking career with BB&T. In 2017, Carrie joined her husband and her brother in their commercial solar business, Green State Power, and is helping to grow Green State Power from a small solar business into a full renewable energy company. Carrie serves on the N.C. Council for Women, the Executive Committee of the American Heart Association Go Red for Women campaign, UNCG’s Light the Way Campaign Steering Committee, and the Greensboro Day School Alumni Board.

LASCEL WEBLEY

Lascel Webley ’94 is Director of Compliance Audit at Labcorp in Burlington, N.C. Previously, he worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. He earned a BS in finance from UNCG and his master’s in business administration and health administration from Pfeiffer University. A proud alumnus, he led the effort to establish the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.’s Mu Iota Endowment at UNCG. He served as Board Chair of Alliance Healthcare from 2012 to 2014 and was recently elected to the board of the Lincoln Community Health Center Foundation, which provides health care to medically underserved patients in Durham, N.C.

GREGORY REYNALD WILLIAMS

Gregory Reynald Williams ’95 is an attorney who was born and raised in Bolivia, N.C. He graduated with a BA in political science from UNCG, where he was a four-year member of the men’s basketball team. He pursued a career in financial planning services at Northwestern Mutual, focusing on individuals, families, and small businesses, and subsequently opened his own business, Williams Financial, LLC. He feeds his passion for basketball by working as a referee at the high school and junior college levels, Men’s Divisions, I, II, and III, and the NBA Developmental League (NBDL).