Events

Richard Watkins earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014 in Microbiology and Immunology with a specialty in Virology. His research focused on the factors that influence disease progression towards AIDS in HIV-infected patients. Prior to attending UNC, Dr. Watkins earned a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Sociology from Fayetteville State University in 2007. He played varsity football for Fayetteville State University throughout his entire undergraduate experience. (https://chancellorssciencescholars.unc.edu/staff-member/watkins-richard/)

Richard is the founder and CEO of The Science Policy Action Network, Inc. (SPAN), which focuses on enhancing science education, advocacy and outreach for the benefit of North Carolinians. He also helps lead the Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he develops STEM diversity initiatives to directly impact the next generation of leaders in science and technology.

Richard is also a member of Sigma Xi. Members of Sigma Xi elect other members on the basis of their research achievements or potential. More than 200 winners of the Nobel Prize have been Sigma Xi members, including Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, Linus Pauling, Francis Crick and James Watson. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigma_Xi)

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Lee_Watkins_III
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChancellorsScienceScholars/
 

Steven B. Epstein, a litigation partner with Poyner Spruill LLP in Raleigh, has been practicing law for nearly 30 years. He has tried many jury and non-jury trials in courtrooms throughout North Carolina and has argued numerous appeals. Since 2015, Epstein's legal practice has focused primarily on family law. His true crime book MURDER ON BIRCHLEAF DRIVE: The True Story of the Michelle Young Murder Case, is his first commercial publication. Epstein lives in Raleigh with his wife and children who, one by one, are leaving the nest.

Website: https://www.poynerspruill.com/professionals/steve-epstein/ www.murderonbirchleafdrive.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.epstein.98
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveepstein007/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-epstein-ab73b831/
 

Mendy Greenwood is one of seven Regional Directors with the NC Department of Insurance where she serves as a public liaison to Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey and an ambassador for the department. Her territory currently covers nine counties spanning from Guilford in the west to Vance in the east, including the southwest half of Wake County. With a background in public affairs, Mendy enjoys every opportunity to educate the citizens of North Carolina about the many services offered to them by the Department of Insurance. Mendy is a native of North Carolina, currently living in Jamestown (Guilford County) with her husband of 29 years. Together they are the very proud parents of four daughters.

President and CEO of ABC2, a venture philanthropy organization focused on developing new treatments for brain cancer. Mr. Wallace helped found the first venture-funded biotech company in NC -- Sphinx Biotechnologies in 1984. He also helped found a number of local companies including Trimeris, SARCO, Cogent Neuroscience and Humacyte.

A former member of Duke University Counsel's Office, former legal counsel for Duke Medical Center, member of the founding team for Duke Management Company, the University's asset management company. Former private practice attorney.

Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, MD, MPH Elizabeth Tilson serves North Carolina as the State Health Director and the Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she promotes public health and prevention activities, as well as provides guidance and oversight on a variety of cross-Departmental issues including the Opioid Epidemic, Early Childhood, Medicaid Transformation, and Healthy Opportunities.

Dr. Tilson is a graduate of Dartmouth College (BA), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (MD), and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill (MPH). She completed Residencies and is board certified in both Pediatrics and General Preventive Medicine/Public Health.

Ashton is a sponsorship program manager for Citrix. She also manages community relationships and partnerships in the Raleigh and greater-Triangle community, a role she developed internally over several years.

Outside of work, she stays active in the community by serving with a number of local organizations, currently including the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Dorothea Dix Park, and DHIC (an affordable housing non-profit). She also co-hosts a locally-focused podcast, aptly named Podcast Raleigh, once ran for Raleigh City Council, and writes a weekly, Raleigh-centric newsletter called Raleigh, Over-easy (http://tinyletter.com/raleighovereasy). Raised in Raleigh and a graduate of NC State’s College of Design, her career path has taken her through residential real estate sales, teaching English on an Italian island, and into project and program management. You can find her on the internet @ashtonmae.

Christine Kastner is an accomplished and successful leader with a demonstrated history of organizational expansion. After an extensive national search, she was selected as the new Executive Director for the North Carolina Master Chorale and joined our team in July of this year. With an 18-year history in nonprofit administration, she is already an integral part of the Master Chorale as we launch our 77th artistic season.

Chris’s personal and professional achievements reveal her talents in the areas of fundraising, marketing, and strong community engagement. In her previous position as President and CEO of the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, she stabilized a struggling nonprofit and led them through remarkable and rapid growth. Kastner’s guidance established FSO as a leading musical agency in the southeastern region of North Carolina.

Rob Christensen wrote about North Carolina politics for The News and Observer for 45 years before retiring in December. He has appeared as an analyst on more than 600 TV and radio programs including CBS Evening News, ABC's Nightline, CNN's Inside Politics, MSNBC's Chris Matthew program, Fox News, NPR and the BBC.

In 2008, his book, The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics was named the best work of fiction by a North Carolinian by the N.C. Literary and History Society. His latest book, The Rise and Fall of the Branchhead Boys, was published by UNC Press in May. He is currently working on a history of the Daniels Family and The News and Observer.

UNCpress.org

CEO and Co-Founder of Aware Senior Care Managing and leading the business aspects of Aware Senior Care, Tim is an alumnus of the Villanova University School of Engineering. He served our country as a U.S. Navy Submarine Officer, and spent much of his career as an executive in the technology industry.

His vision for an in-home care organization stems from the struggles following his own father’s stroke and time in a nursing facility. That experience led Tim to ensure his mother could stay in her home, despite difficulties with memory loss and household maintenance. Tim’s intimate understanding of the stresses of a loved one’s need for independence makes him uniquely qualified to recruit only the best caregivers and manage the day-to-day operations at Aware Senior Care.

Since starting Aware with his wife and RN Director Gina Murray in October of 2014, the company is currently the most awarded and reviewed home care agency in the Triangle achieving Home Care Pulse’s highest award as a 2019 Leadership recipient along with best home care from Senioradvisor.com as well as earning a caring star as best home care from caring.com. Tim is currently a board member of the Dementia Alliance of North Carolina and a member of the Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club.

Links to other speaker-related info: https://awareseniorcare.com/aware-senior-care-blog/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awareseniorcare/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murraytim/