Public Health Foundation Board

Mr. Atkeson is a Managing Director in the Fortress Credit Funds since 2016 focusing on investments in the transportation and infrastructure sectors.  Mr. Atkeson joined Fortress in 2003 and prior to joining the credit team, Mr. Atkeson spent 13 years in the private equity business most recently as the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Fortress Transportation and Infrastructure Investors LLC (“FTAI”), a permanently capitalized vehicle managed by Fortress that owns and acquires high quality infrastructure and transportation equipment.  Prior to his role at FTAI, Mr. Atkeson focused on investments in the transportation and infrastructure sectors including investments in aircraft, shipping containers, intermodal chassis, and energy distribution.  Prior to joining Fortress in 2003, Mr. Atkeson worked as a vice president in the private equity group at Whitney and Co., LLC and prior to that was a member of the mergers and acquisitions group at Credit Suisse First Boston.

Mr. Atkeson has served in many volunteer capacities including as the President of the Board of Education for the Bronxville Union Free School District as well as an original founder of Amistad Academy, a member of the Achievement First charter school network and a long-time board member of Achievement First Brooklyn.

Mr. Atkeson holds a BSPH in Environmental Science and Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a JD from Yale Law School.

Mary Margaret Carroll is the Associate Dean for Advancement at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She leads the School’s fundraising efforts, manages the advancement team and serves as Executive Director of the Public Health Foundation. Previously, she held leadership roles at UNC-Kenan Flagler Business School and UNC Health, bringing extensive experience in development and philanthropy.

Why I serve on the Gillings School Alumni Association Board:
I enjoy giving back to the Gillings School of Global Public Health and meeting wonderful alumni and students.

How I support or give back to the Gillings School:
I have helped connect students with opportunities at HCA Healthcare, served as a mock interviewer, and also hired students who became residents. I also give financially to the Gillings School because the it has been such an important part of my professional development.

My favorite thing about the Gillings School:
I love the variety of specialties that are all interconnected at the Gillings School. It helps me learn about new trends and challenges in areas outside of my daily work in hospital administration.

How my UNC public health education and degree impacted my life and career:
My degree from the Gillings School was the catalyst for my career as a hospital administrator. My time at the Gillings School helped initiate my career by helping me connect to my internship experience and hospital residency after graduation. From there, I have benefited from the rich alumni network to help advance my career.

I’m originally from:
I grew up in Fresno, California. I’ve lived in North Carolina, Florida, and now Tennessee.

An accomplishment I’m proud of:
I built a new hospital and was able to bring healthcare services to a community that previously had to travel more than 30 minutes for care.

The best advice I’ve ever received:
The best advice I’ve ever received is to “Hire people for their enthusiasm and commitment rather than their skill set. You can teach new skills, but you can’t change an individual’s inherent motivation.”

To start a conversation with me:
Tell me something you are passionate about and why.

Something most people may not know about me:
I love hiking and being outdoors.

Dana Davis, MSPH, is a health care market director at Genentech, a large biotech company that focuses on applying innovation to areas of need like multiple sclerosis, oncology and ophthalmology. In her current role, she is responsible for leading the commercial field team across North Carolina and South Carolina and is accountable for delivering growth across a diverse portfolio of products.

Genentech’s unique approach to customer engagement aims to improve patient experience and support population health. She partners with local stakeholders (hospitals, payers, providers and advocacy groups) to affect the way health care is delivered in the Carolinas.

Before joining Genentech, Dana held a breadth of roles across the pharmaceutical industry, spending more than 10 years focused on managed care and public policy.

In the community, Dana is an inaugural board member for Research Triangle Tech Noir, an organization focused on accelerating the growth and success of Black students, professionals and businesses in the tech industry. She also sits on the board of Cary Academy.

Dana earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a Master of Science in Public Health degree in epidemiology from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in 1998.

Why I serve on the Gillings School Alumni Association Board:
I am grateful for this opportunity to join the Gillings School Alumni Association Board to serve as a resource for prospective and current students and provide connections with alumni. Since my graduation, I have determined that my life’s work is to advocate for equity and justice and center the voices of those who lived experiences have been pushed to the margins. While the Gillings School has made great strides, there is still much more work to do both internally and externally. I am excited about contributing a racial equity lens and my experience and passion working with youth to increase opportunities, particularly for youth of color to be exposed to public health and amplify their voices to create social change.

How I support or give back to the Gillings School:
During my time at the School, I had the privilege of working alongside fellow students and professors to help create more equitable experiences for current and future public health leaders. I have returned to speak on career panels, exhibit at the Minority Health Conference, and guest lecture in the classroom. I gained so much from the people and relationships I formed during my time at the School, that I feel strongly about continuing to forge relationships and pour into others what was given to me.

How my UNC public health education and degree impacted my life and career:
Many of the relationships I forged as a member of the Minority Student Caucus and Minority Health Conference Planning Committee remain strong and helped shape the life’s work I chose and that I know chose me. From the beginning of my time at the School I was intrigued by the people and the history of community centered work to eliminate health inequities. Every opportunity that I have had since has been centered in community and equity work at various levels with a strong commitment to examine public health issues as social justice issues.

My favorite thing about the Gillings School:
My favorite thing about the Gillings School is the collaboration and relationships. There are so many different research and practice-based projects of interest at the school that are connected to various sectors across the state, nation, and the world. Every time I come back for events like the Minority Health Conference it feels like homecoming and the door is always open for future collaboration.

I’m originally from:
I was born in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and am very proud to be from the Bull City (Durham). Yes, there are people who live in the Triangle area who are from here! There are actually a lot of people I know who are from Durham who are still here. We embrace a shared vision that creates equitable opportunities for people to live, work and play in North Carolina’s major cities without pushing out those who are being left behind or negatively impacted by the city’s rapid growth and change. I love my city for the culture, history, and movements that are sparked here and will always show love for Durham.

An accomplishment I’m proud of:
During my time as a Senior Public Health Educator at Orange County Health Department I worked alongside the Health Director and a coalition of youth and adult partners to lead the development and implementation of the strongest smoke-free policy in the nation at the time in 2012.

The best advice I’ve ever received:
My mom always told me to do my best and don’t worry about trying to be perfect or what everyone else is doing. She reminded me that people are always watching, which helps me give things my all, whatever that may be at the time. My mom is truly an inspiration to me and so many others as she lives out the advice she gave to me in our family, church, and community.

To start a conversation with me:
Tell me where you’re from and what’s your “why” and I will certainly share why being from Durham and the experiences I’ve had because of my identity and passion for others are the “why” that keeps me motivated to continue working for community change every day. I love to hear people’s stories about the how and “why” of their life journeys.

Todd Durham is the Vice President, Clinical & Outcomes Research at the Foundation Fighting Blindness, a national non-profit that funds research to treat and cure inherited retinal diseases. In his current role, Durham is responsible for directing the Foundation’s Clinical Consortium of retinal experts, developing strategies to enhance product development, liaising with industry, and providing technical input on partnered programs and investment decisions. Durham has over 20 years of drug development experience. Prior to his current position, Durham contributed to research on numerous marketed products as Director of Biostatistics with IQVIA’s Real World Evidence Solutions, was a doctoral fellow with Bristol Myers Squibb, and worked in various statistical and leadership roles for Novan, Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Quintiles, and as a self-employed consultant. Durham has received professional awards for leadership and team work, scientific contributions on multidisciplinary teams, and teaching. He has professional interests in the use of clinical trial simulation and decision analytic approaches in portfolio planning.

As a volunteer, Durham is the current Board President of the Affordable Community Residence Association (ACRA), a non-profit founded in 1987 whose mission is to provide affordable housing and supportive services to individuals with HIV and disabilities. In his spare time, Todd enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with his wife and son.

Durham earned a BSPH and MS in biostatistics and a PhD in health policy and management (Decision Science and Outcomes Research) from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Tiffany Farina is the associate dean for finance and business with more than 10 years of experience in higher education administration and leadership. She has a passion for creating inclusive, affordable, and accessible educational experiences. Tiffany has a successful track record in both education and industry where she has extensive experience collaborating across functional areas to address emerging challenges and dynamic needs. At the University of New Hampshire, Tiffany developed a campus-wide reporting strategy that helped principal investigators manage their research portfolios in a timely, compliant manner. And at Liberty Mutual, Tiffany supported the nationwide rollout of a workforce management solution to improve productivity and efficiency for over 4,000 claims adjusters. Tiffany received a doctorate in education at North Carolina State University. Her dissertation focused on improving equitable transfer rates between 2-year and 4-year institutions. In her free time, Tiffany enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons, exploring our beautiful state.

Dr. Diego Garza, an expert in the intersection of applied technology and health care delivery, is an innovative leader in expanding access to mental health services through telemedicine.

He joined Mindpath Health, a fast-growing independent provider of outpatient mental health services in several states, in 2017, with a mission to develop and launch the company’s telepsychiatry service. His innovation, Mindpath’s teletherapy program, now employs almost 1,000 providers and serves 30,000 patients in North Carolina alone. It is one of the few in the country that has earned the URAC Telemedicine Accreditation.

In 2019, as Senior Vice President of Innovation and Telehealth, Garza designed a pilot program that reflected his vision of telepsychiatry as a transformational tool to increase access to care. The groundbreaking program offered telehealth services on demand, creating the equivalent of a walk-in behavioral clinic but in the telemedicine space. The pilot program showed evidence that on-demand services reduce the burden on higher levels of care and connects patients to longitudinal behavioral health services. As a result of the pilot’s success, Dr. Garza officially launched Mindpath On Demand in 2021 in North Carolina, California and Texas.

Dr. Garza was selected for the 40 Under 40 Award in 2020 and the Health Care Hero Award in 2018 by the North Carolina-based Triangle Business Journal. In 2022, he was awarded the 2022 UNC Gillings School of Public Health Alumni Award for his contributions in expanding access to care for disadvantaged populations through the Telemedicine program he launched. Dr. Garza was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, where he obtained a medical degree. He has a master’s degree in public health from the Gilling’s School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Amit Gupta, MD is a practicing pediatric/cardiac anesthesiologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. In addition to being clinically active, he serves as Director of Pediatric Cardiac Anesthesia, and participates in teaching residents and fellows the practice of anesthesia. Global health is an area of special interest for Dr. Gupta. He has participated in many medical trips abroad to under-resourced countries delivering care to pediatric patients in South America, India, Nigeria, and the Philippines. Dr. Gupta has also volunteered in his community co-chairing the scholarship program at the Castro Valley Education Foundation and serving on the board of Children’s First Medical Group, Inc.

Dr. Gupta received a Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree in Biostatistics and a Medical Doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His medical residency was at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and his pediatric anesthesia/cardiac fellowship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. After his training, he joined Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA before moving to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

Dr. Gupta lives in Northern California with his spouse, Seema Gupta, and their two boys. The family enjoys outdoor activities and traveling and tries to visit Wilmington, NC whenever they are on the east coast.

A seasoned, well-rounded C suite executive leader with more than 25 years’ experience developing and implementing novel programs to enhance care, promote health and expand business models for success. Her approach is founded upon the integration of the practices of medicine and public health to realize sustainable health improvement and achievement of equity. Her leadership demonstrates measurable success in complex environments working across integrated delivery networks, government agencies, community organizations and physician groups.

As former chief administrative officer for a large integrated delivery network, Katie was focused on operational excellence, population health and overall integration of services across the continuum to serve the patient and community. Managing a portfolio of $3.5B including Heart and Vascular, Children’s, Neuroscience, Surgical Services and Mobile Medicine. Highlights are creation, thought leadership and implementation of signature programs including virtual health, community health, service line governance, community paramedicine, emergency management, and global health — shifting the care model to start with the person and build back to the healthcare system.

Katie shares her knowledge and passion as a strategic advisor for notable companies including GE Healthcare, Pfizer, PeraHealth/ Rothman Index, Guideway Care and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Committed to diversity and inclusion in leadership, Katie served as the executive sponsor of leadership development programs focused on promoting racial, ethnic, age and gender diversity teammates, including aligning key sponsorship and allies.

Katie is a lifelong volunteer and advocate for individuals and the community — serving on and chairing several nonprofit boards including Loaves & Fishes, Healthy Charlotte, Medic Mecklenburg County EMS Agency, and Leadership Charlotte. She currently is a member of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Foundation and Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays. Katie remains an active hospice volunteer celebrating 25 years of service. Katie loves being with her husband Rich, son Gavin and their 4-legged son, 200-pound English Mastiff, Rufus.

She is a fellow through the American College of HealthCare Executives, named 2019 Top 25 Women in Business in Charlotte, 2015 Most Influential Women in Charlotte, 2010 ACHE Regents Award Winner for NC, 2005 Modern Healthcare Up and Comer, and 2004 40 under 40 by the Charlotte Business Journal.

Katie earned her DrPH in Public Health and Health Leadership from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and her MBA and BA from University of Buffalo.

Mark Lee was the Chief Technology Executive for ICF, a global consulting and technology services company with approximately 9,000 employees, headquartered in the Washington, DC area. In this role, Mark drove the company’s overall technology strategy and implementation through his leadership of ICF’s client-facing technology business and the company’s Chief Technology Officer function.

Mark previously served as the executive vice president of ICF’s public sector business. He has held many leadership roles across the public sector business, including previously serving as the head of business development and the disaster management division. Prior to this, he led the climate, sustainability, environmental health, and surface transportation businesses and has extensive experience supporting a wide range of clients in addressing public health, environmental, technology, regulatory, and policy challenges.

An industry leader, Mark was recognized by WashingtonExec as a Top Public Sector Leader to Watch in 2020 and 2021, and he received a 2022 Longevity Award for his career trajectory at ICF. Mark is also an executive committee member for the Professional Services Council.

Mark holds a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a third generation Tar Heel and passionate fan of all things UNC-related. Mark and his wife (Neha Mehta, also a Gillings alum) have two sons and live in Falls Church, VA. Outside of work, he enjoys cycling, scuba diving, and music.

Jessica T. Melton is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Suburban Hospital in Bethesda Maryland. Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is a non-profit, 222 bed acute care community-based hospital. Suburban Hospital offers a full complement of inpatient and outpatient services and is distinguished by a cutting-edge stroke program; level II trauma center; centers of excellence in cardiac care, orthopedics and joint replacement surgery, neurosciences and oncology; state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment tools; and affiliations with world-class institutions, including the neighboring National Institutes of Health. Prior to joining Suburban, Jessica served as the Chief Operating Officer for Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Jessica has additionally held progressive leadership roles at Duke University Hospital in Durham, North Carolina including Vice President of Medical, Surgical, and Critical Care Services, Vice President of Emergency Services and Patient Flow, Administrative Director of Emergency Preparedness and Trauma, and the Director of the Duke Preparedness and Response Center.

Jessica received both her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and her Master of Healthcare Administration with concentrations in Finance and Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed her Administrative Fellowship at Duke University Hospital. In 2019, Jessica earned her certification as an International Coaching Federation (ICF) executive coach from North Carolina State University.

Mona M. Moon is retired from state service and most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer of North Carolina’s Medicaid program in the Department of Health and Human Services. She is the former Executive Administrator of the State Health Plan for Teachers and State Employees, a division of the NC Department of State Treasurer and previously served as the State Health Plan’s Chief Financial Officer. Before joining the State Health Plan, Moon served as Chief Business Operations Officer for the Division of Medical Assistance, NC Department of Health and Human Services. She also served as a Principal Fiscal Analyst with the Fiscal Research Division of the NC General Assembly.

Moon serves on the Boards of Directors of the State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU) and the SECU Foundation. She is a member of Delta Sigma Pi, international business fraternity and the North Carolina chapter of the International Women’s Forum. She is the recipient of the 2009 Alumni Leadership Award, Department of Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and an alumni member of Delta Omega, Public Health Honorary Society.

Moon received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Public Health degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Thomas Patrick O’Connor (“Tommy”) is Chief Executive Officer of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare business in the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and Empire Markets – serving 1.1M Medicare members across 10 states. He joined UnitedHealthcare in 2009 and most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Medicare in the Carolinas and Mid-Atlantic before joining the Great Lakes. O’Connor successfully grew UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans in North Carolina to #1 market share by expanding health plan options and partnering with some of the state’s largest health care systems to enhance consumers’ choice, care and experience. He also served as UnitedHealthcare of New York’s Director of Performance-Based Contracting and Innovation, successfully building accountable care organization strategies for Medicare, Medicaid and commercially insured individuals.

Prior to joining UnitedHealthcare, O’Connor was a consultant with Gold Health Strategies in New York, representing employers and health systems in negotiations with health insurers.

O’Connor specializes in executive profit and loss management and developing provider partnerships and consumer-centric health plans that align with the industry transition to value-based care. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Georgetown University, with degrees in public health, health policy and management, and mathematics. O’Connor is an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, serves as an advisor to Paradym, an early stage tech-enabled behavioral health company based in London, England, and is an active board member of UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation. O’Connor lives in Chapel Hill, NC, is an avid runner, and is enjoying 2025 with his wife and two kids, Finnegan and Kinsale.

Lou Patalano is chief legal officer, senior vice president and corporate secretary with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana.

Prior to joining Blue Cross Louisiana, Lou was of counsel and a member of the Health Care and FDA practice group with K&L Gates, a global law firm, in its Research Triangle Park, N.C., office. Before K&L Gates, Patalano served as chief legal officer, senior corporate vice president, and corporate secretary for Sentara Healthcare and Optima Health, a large integrated delivery network, in Virginia. Previously, he was employed with Cape Fear Valley Health System, the ninth largest health system in North Carolina, where he served as its first ever general counsel and senior vice president of legal services.

Formerly, Patalano was deputy general counsel and vice president with Blue Cross North Carolina, where he served as the organization’s leader of the day-to-day legal function. Earlier in his career, he also served as an assistant attorney general with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office in Raleigh and as a special assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Raleigh and Charlotte, prosecuting health care fraud and abuse cases in state and federal courts.

Patalano currently serves as chair of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) Alumni Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity (ACRED) and as a member of the ACRED Asian-American subcommittee. Patalano currently sits on the UNC-CH General Alumni Association Board of Directors and has served on the UNC-CH Board of Visitors. Also, he was on the Campaign for Carolina diversity strategy committee. Patalano actively supports the Asian American Center at UNC-CH and is a founding supporter of the Miranda Family Fellowships at Woolly Mammoth Theatre in Washington, D.C. (a workforce development program designed to provide talented candidates from historically excluded communities with the opportunity to build their careers in the arts). Patalano has also served on the Board of Directors for Communities in Schools of North Carolina and Communities in Schools of Cumberland County. Additionally, he was on the Board of Directors and in leadership roles with the North Carolina Society of Health Care Attorneys and the North Carolina Bar Association Health Law Section Council.

In 2021, Patalano was recognized by Virginia Business as one of the commonwealth’s Legal Elite (Corporate Counsel). In 2011, Patalano was recognized by The Fayetteville Observer as one of its Top 40 Under Forty – an honor awarded to the region’s rising leaders based on both their business success and community impact.

Patalano received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Patsy Polston is a public health environmental microbiologist with a focus in water research and a passion for creating healthy environments for underserved populations. Her trajectory began at Tuskegee University where she completed her BS in electrical engineering and physics. Upon graduation, she worked as an engineer for Ford Motor Company. During such time, Polston realized she was passionate about preventive health and she entered a MSPH program in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health. During her tenure at the Gillings School, she was actively involved in local community environmental justice issues and worked with a Non-Government Organization (NGO) in India on water, sanitation and hygiene.

These experiences solidified her passion for community and environmental health; enabled her to realize the importance of collaborating with impacted communities; and confirmed her interest in conducting interdisciplinary research. Polston pursued a doctorate and merged two sciences by minoring in Health Behavior. At Gillings, she was actively involved in the School community, holding numerous leadership positions, including: serving two terms as co-president of the Minority Student Caucus, three terms as the Dean’s Council Student Representative, and co-president of the Student Government. Polston successfully completed her PhD in 2015 where she investigated the controversial subject pertaining to waste management practices of land applying biosolids by analyzing its potential microbial impact on nearby water bodies.

Upon graduation, she was chosen as the 2015 inaugural Dennis and Mireille Gillings Pasteur Foundation Fellowship where she spent three years working in the Department of Enteric Viruses at Paris-based Insitut Pasteur, conducting environmental and human surveillance for polioviruses and other enteroviruses. Her research brought her to Madagascar, among other International Network sites within Pasteur. Polston is currently teaching at the Gillings School in the Department of Health Behavior. One of her goals is to educate and empower people, giving them the tools they need to improve their health and quality of life. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys traveling, spending time with her husband, family and friends.

Polston earned a BS in Electrical Engineering and Physics from Tuskegee University, an MSPH and a PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering (minor in Health Behavior) from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Azhar Richmond is an Executive Director within Morgan Stanley’s Institutional Equities division. She began her career on Wall Street in 2005 after graduating from Harvard with a degree in Psychology. She worked at JP Morgan’s Investment Bank from 2005-08 and at Chanel as a Fragrance & Beauty Analyst from 2008-09. In 2009, she went back to Harvard for her MBA and joined the US Sales team at Morgan Stanley in the fall on 2011.

Azhar is Co-Captain of the Harvard Recruiting team at Morgan Stanley and serves on the Summer Analyst Internship Program’s Diversity Council. She was born and raised in Oakland, CA and is the youngest of five children.

Anant Shah (UNC BSPH ’00) brings extensive multi-sector leadership experience across global health, infectious diseases, vaccines and public-private partnerships through senior roles at CDC, Gates Foundation, Merck and Moderna. He has led efforts at the forefront of some of public health’s most urgent issues, including Ebola, COVID-19, flu, dengue, and vaccine access. He’s focused on innovation at the intersection of health, business, science and technology to build a new paradigm for public health and to find creative, market-based solutions that can deliver more sustainable, equitable impact. Anant is co-founder of the UNC Mahatma Gandhi Fellowship and, in addition to supporting UNC, is a guest lecturer and student mentor at Yale School of Public Health where he earned a Master of Public Health degree in 2007.

George Thomas has more than 30 years of financial services experience spanning asset management, investment banking, electronic trading, institutional capital market structure, technology, commercial banking, and internal audit at a broad range of firms in New York, Boston, Bermuda, London, and Tokyo. Mr. Thomas’ unique background has encompassed working on both the buy side and sell side of Wall Street as a derivatives sales trader, active quantitative portfolio manager, software developer and manager of global sales teams.

Currently, George serves as president of Three Hill Shoals LLC, providing strategic advisory services. Prior to this, Mr. Thomas served as senior advisor in the consulting and advisory practice of PwC Bermuda. He led numerous consulting and advisory engagements encompassing strategy, cybersecurity, data privacy, mergers and acquisitions and risk assessment, including a multiyear initiative to deliver a comprehensive reform plan to the Government of Bermuda. Mr. Thomas has more than 20 years of corporate governance experience, serving on the boards of directors of regulated and non-regulated entities in North America, Asia and Europe. He currently serves, or has served, as an independent director and committee member on the boards of companies (public and private) as well as investment funds. He is a registered director with Cayman Islands Monetary Authority under the Directors Registration and Licensing Law of 2014 and has been registered since inception. In 2013, he earned a Certificate in International Trust Management from the Society of Trust & Estate Practitioners in advance of serving as protector for a Bermuda trust. Since 2017, Thomas has been a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School on cybersecurity disclosure considerations for public companies to a second- and third-year Securities Law class.

Mr. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Economics from Duke University and a Master of Business Administration in finance and quantitative methods from UNC-Chapel Hill.

I am excited for the opportunity to give back to the Gillings School and stay connected with current students and alumni.

How I support or give back to the Gillings School:
I give back to the Gillings School through mentorship, professional development, and financial contributions. I also enjoy serving as a resource for prospective students, who are interested in pursuing their graduate studies at Gillings.

How my UNC public health education and degree impacted my life and career:
The Gillings School provided a strong educational foundation, preparing me to be successful in internship and post-graduate fellowship opportunities. Since entering the workforce, I have been very impressed with the power of the alumni network in helping me advance in my career.

My favorite thing about the Gillings School:
My favorite thing about the Gillings School are the people – collaborative classmates, knowledgeable instructors, and supportive staff all working together to advance the field of public health.

I’m originally from:
Raleigh, N.C. and have lived in North Carolina my entire life. My immediate and extended family are all close by in central and eastern North Carolina.

An accomplishment I’m proud of:
Winning the Everett V. Fox CASE competition at the National Association Of Health Service Executives with my fellow Gillings School classmates.

The best advice I’ve ever received:
“Learn from every single being, experience, and moment. What joy it is to search for lessons and goodness and enthusiasm in others.” – Eve Marie Carson

To start a conversation with me:
Ask me about my favorite restaurant!

Something most people may not know about me:
I’m a fraternal twin.