Catalyze

Frances Seymour ‘81 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Frances is a senior policy advisor at the Woodwell Climate Research Center and IPAM Amazonia.  About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connects with seven others: the three classes ahead, its own, and the three that follow. The idea of SEVEN is to strengthen connections across generati...

Recorded live at the 2025 Morehead-Cain Alumni Forum, this episode of Catalyze brings together two generations of financial innovators. David Gardner ’88 , co-founder and Chief Rule Breaker at The Motley Fool, shares decades of experience challenging conventional finance: what worked, what didn’t, and the lessons he’d carry forward.  This episode’s host, Mary Esposito ’26 , is the founder of Money...

Bill Bates ’62 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Bill is the founding dean of the Thomas F. Frist, Jr. College of Medicine at Belmont University. About SEVEN Talks Every class of Morehead-Cain Scholars connects with seven others: the three classes ahead, its own, and the three that follow. The idea of SEVEN is to strengthen connections across generations...

In this episode, Kristina Chapple ’22 joins scholar host Stella Smolowitz ’26 to share her fast-tracked journey from UNC–Chapel Hill to becoming a general partner at 11 Tribes Ventures , an early-stage venture capital firm investing in values-driven founders. Kristina reflects on how her undergraduate experience at Carolina, including her interdisciplinary coursework, entrepreneurship minor, and t...

Join co-chairs Madhu Vulimiri ’14 and James Dean ’89 as they share what will make the 2025 Alumni Forum this fall an unmissable event! This invigorating weekend is a chance to reconnect, learn, and grow with alumni from around the world. The Alumni Forum will take place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from October 17 to 19. Learn more and secure your spot on the Morehead-Cain Ne...

On this episode, North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner ’99 shares about his new role managing the state’s financial assets. He offers insights into how North Carolina’s financial processes compare to other states; the importance of strategizing long-term fiscal stewardship; and his leadership approach for the department’s 400-person team. The conversation, hosted by Stella Smolowitz ’26, also...

Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a miniseries by the Catalyze podcast that showcases Morehead-Cain seniors. The second edition of the series features Elizah Liberty Van Lokeren ’25, a professional photographer, small business owner, and member of UNC football’s creative team. In this episode, the advertisement and public relations double major discusses her experiences developing a photograph...

Welcome to Kickin’ It in the Kitchen, a Catalyze podcast miniseries showcasing Morehead-Cain seniors. The first episode features Nigel Parker ’25, a founding member of the Food for Thought breakfast and conversation series, the chief of staff for UNC Student Government, an Agora Fellow, and a philosophy major at Carolina. This video series is hosted by Allyson Horst ’27 of the Morehead-Cain Schola...

In 1974, a dozen women became the first female Morehead-Cain Scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the same year the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was passed, granting women the right to open a bank account without a husband’s signature. This past fall, eight members of the class of 1979 reunited to celebrate their 45th anniversary. During their visit, they shared memories an...

This past fall, fifteen students enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill joined the Morehead-Cain Class of 2027 through its Sophomore Selection process. Morehead-Cain launched this initiative in fall 2023 to identify sophomores at UNC–Chapel Hill who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, and character, and invite them to join the Morehead-Cain Program. In this...

Happy New Year! Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford sat down with scholar host Stella Smolowitz ’26 to share what we’ve learned since launching the Sophomore Selection process and Morehead-Cain’s Community Standards, and what he hopes scholars take away from their time in the Program.  Morehead-Cain launched Sophomore Selection in fall 2023 to identify sophomores at UNC–Chapel Hill who have dem...

As Morehead-Cain celebrates 50 years of the Summer Enrichment Program , we asked scholars to share a few of their highlights from the past year. This episode is hosted by Allyson Horst ’27 of the Scholar Media Team.  First up, we hear from Sahil Kapadia ’28 about his Outdoor Leadership expedition trekking around Lake Superior, followed by Carolina Hoyt ’28 and her expedition in the Talkeetna Mount...

Lee Roberts, the thirteenth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sat down with scholar host Allyson Horst ’26 to share his vision for Carolina under his leadership. The two discuss the University’s strategic priorities, with a focus on the areas of artificial intelligence, enrollment growth, investments in applied sciences, a physical master plan, the launch of the School...

Dr. John Rose joined the Morehead-Cain community this fall as faculty director for Dialogue and Discourse. The initiative is designed to enhance scholars’ ability to listen, discuss, and engage in contemporary issues. Rose speaks with Catalyze co-host Stella Smolowitz ’26 about his approach to facilitating “charity-centric” dialogue with college students, the connection for him between theology an...

Sachi Akmal ’28 visited campus during a break in her International Gap Year to speak with Catalyze host Allyson Horst ’27.  So far, Sachi has traveled to ten countries over the span of nine months. From climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with fellow incoming scholars to exploring Italian monasteries, Sachi shares some of the highlights from her time abroad. She also touches on some of the more challenging...

Patton McDowell ’89 is the founder and president of PMA Nonprofit Leadership . The firm provides philanthropic and organizational consulting services. Patton is also the host of the podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership , a career development series focused on philanthropy. Patton shares with Catalyze host Charles McCain ’27 how interning at Special Olympics International as a Morehead-Cain Sc...

Nandini Kanthi ’27 is the CEO and co-founder of Sensible, a startup that provides an affordable menstrual hygiene product that screens for cervical diseases. The diagnostic device uses naturally discharging menstrual blood.  The scholar shares with Catalyze host Allyson Horst ’27 about her entrepreneurship journey, from competing on a high school debate team to filing for a patent. Nandini is stud...

Morehead-Cain launched the Sophomore Selection initiative in fall 2023 to identify current sophomores at Carolina who have demonstrated exceptional scholarship, leadership, and character. Fifteen students joined the Program as members of the Morehead-Cain Class of 2026. Four members of the class joined Catalyze co-host Allyson Horst ’27 to share about the moment they received the good news, their...

Today’s guest is Kevin Guskiewicz, the twelfth chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Food for Thought speaker at Morehead-Cain. The chancellor emeritus spoke with Catalyze as his final engagement on campus before moving to East Lansing, Michigan, to serve as president of Michigan State University.  Guskiewicz shares with scholar host Benny Klein ’24 insights on the cu...

Most Morehead-Cain Alumni know Josh Lee ’04 as the co-founder of Green Top Farms , a farm-to-table catering and food service company based in New York City. But after the work day, you’ll find the entrepreneur in the South Bronx coaching girls how to wrestle.  Josh is the founder of the Taft High School women’s wrestling team, one of the first of its kind in the city. A new film by Nike’s Waffle I...

Today’s guest is Peter Hans, president of the University of North Carolina system and a Food for Thought speaker at Morehead-Cain.  On this episode, President Hans shares about how growing up in rural North Carolina has informed his work, his experiences as president of the North Carolina Community College System, and his perspective on the future of affordable public education in the state. Hans...

Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Kartik Tyagi ’23, is entitled, “Haste and Hustle.” Kartik was the senior class president at UNC–Chapel Hill.  You can watch all of the SEVEN Talks on our YouTube channel .  Morea bout Kartik Born and raised in Cary, North Carolina, Kartik Tyagi ’23 received his BSPH in Health Policy and Management at the...

Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford sat down with scholar co-host Benny Klein ’24 to share about an initiative that welcomed more than a dozen sophomores from UNC–Chapel Hill into the Program last fall , recent efforts to celebrate and support educators in North Carolina and beyond, and what’s ahead for the Morehead-Cain Foundation in 2024. How to listen On your mobile device, you can listen an...

Navigating leadership transitions. Tackling education inequities. Finding inspiration within cancel culture. Five Morehead-Cain alumnae share with Benny Klein ’24 about their entrepreneurship journeys from the worlds of consulting, tech, nonprofits, and government.  The group shares their role models, most impactful Morehead-Cain summers from college, and what’s keeping them motivated at the momen...

Today’s episode is a recording of a SEVEN Talk from the 2022 Alumni Forum. This talk, given by Tai Huynh ’20, is entitled, “80 Days Around the Mustache.” Tai is a Chapel Hill Town Council Member and the co-founder and CEO of Acta Solutions LLC. You can watch all of the SEVEN Talks on our YouTube channel .  More about Tai Tai Huynh ’20 is a co-founder at Acta Solutions and a sitting member of the C...