Ian F. McNeely

Ian F. McNeely, a distinguished historian and academic leader, currently serves as Senior Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Professor of History at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. With a robust academic background including an A.B. from Harvard (1992) and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (1998), Professor McNeely specializes in modern Germany and the history of knowledge.

Professor McNeely’s scholarly contributions include Medicine on a Grand Scale (2002), The Emancipation of Writing (2003), and Reinventing Knowledge (2008). His newest book, The University Unfettered, is a history of the public research university between the Great Recession and COVID-19. It will appear with Columbia University Press in 2025.

Beyond his research achievements, Professor McNeely has distinguished himself as a visionary administrator and educator. Over his extensive career spanning more than 25 years, he has pioneered numerous curricular and pedagogical innovations, enhancing educational experiences for students. His leadership was notably demonstrated as the founding Executive Director of the School of Global Studies and Languages at the University of Oregon.

Professor McNeely’s commitment to academic excellence and institutional development continues to shape the landscape of higher education. At UNC Chapel Hill, he remains dedicated to fostering an enriching undergraduate education environment while advancing scholarly inquiry in history and the humanities.

Kim Abels

Dr. Kimberly Town Abels is serving as the Interim Associate Dean for the Center for Student Success. In this role, Dr. Abels provides administrative oversight for all units within CFSS which includes the Summer Bridge program, Peer Mentoring, Carolina Firsts (First-Generation Students), Transfer Student Services and the UNC Writing and Learning Centers. Dr. Abels has also previously served as the Director of the Writing and Learning Center at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she has led the center since 2013. With a Ph.D. in English from The Ohio State University, Dr. Abels specializes in rhetoric and critical theory and brings over two decades of experience in higher education.

A dedicated scholar, Dr. Abels has co-authored numerous publications and presented at major conferences on topics such as metacognition and academic coaching. Her contributions have been recognized with awards, including the SWCA Achievement Award, and she continues to serve on key university committees and as an external reviewer for academic programs.

Andrew Lakis

Andrew Lakis joined the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program as Executive Director in March 2021. In 2004, Andrew joined Teach For America as a teacher at Friendship Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. A native of North Carolina, he worked as an instructional coach in Durham Public Schools and served in multiple leadership roles within Teach For America over the past decade. From 2015 to 2021, Andrew led Teach For America’s largest rural region, working with his team to recruit, train and support over 400 new teachers and partner with almost 1,000 alumni leaders working toward educational equity across eastern North Carolina. During his tenure as executive director, he also oversaw the launch of Teach For America’s first rural regional summer teaching institute, Eastern NC Residency, and the redesign of Teach For America-Eastern North Carolina’s leadership development program. Andrew received his BA in History from Duke University, where he was a Trinity Scholar, and his Masters in Elementary Education from American University.

Andrew is committed to strengthening community, expanding access for youth and addressing inequity. He currently serves on the PAVE Southeast Raleigh Charter School board, the North Carolina Education Human Capital Roundtable and is a member of the Racial Equity Institute’s Groundwater Leadership Basecamp. Formerly, he served as the chair of the Educator Preparation Program Accountability subcommittee as a member of North Carolina’s Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission. Andrew and his wife, Kristen, live in Durham with their two sons, Abe and Sam.

James Leloudis

Dean Leloudis provides overall leadership for Honors Carolina and the Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence. He is an award-winning professor of History whose teaching and research focus on late-19th and 20th-century America. Dean Leloudis graduated from Carolina in History with highest honors, and then earned a master’s degree at Northwestern University and a PhD from Carolina.

Meredith Petschauer

Meredith Petschauer, PhD, LAT, ATC is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science.
Dr. Petschauer received her PhD from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro in Biomechanics, her Master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Athletic Training and her bachelor’s degree from The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.
Dr. Petschauer, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Curricula, teaches Biomechanics, Emergency Care of Injuries and Illness, Advanced Orthopedic Assessment and Functional Anatomy. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is the Director of the Undergraduate Research for EXSS and serves as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Women’s Volleyball team. As an athletic trainer she has worked with the field hockey and women’s gymnastics teams during her time at UNC. Her research interests include prehospital care of the cervical spine injured athlete specifically considering lacrosse and ice hockey equipment and emergency care of the equipment laden athlete.

Chloē Russell

Chloē Russell is the Associate Dean for Advising in the Office of Undergraduate Education. Previously, she served as special assistant dean for hub initiatives and the five years prior as an assistant dean for academic advising. Chloē has served UNC students in advising since 2008 and among her numerous accomplishments, she provided the strategic vision for the Hardin Hub for Career & Academic Advising –coordinating the initial design, construction, marketing and hiring of staff for the office, with the ultimate goal of offering streamlined, holistic and individualized support for our Tar Heels. As the associate dean, she is leading the design and launch of additional hubs modeled after the Hardin Hub, working closely with administrative leaders in the College of Arts & Sciences, Student Affairs, Undergraduate Admissions, Scholarships & Student Aid, the University Registrar, and the graduate and professional schools. A Tar Heel alumna, Chloē graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication and received a master’s in education from UNC-Greensboro in 2012. She has been recognized for several campus and national advising awards, the University’s Outstanding Encouragement of Learning and Development Award in 2020 and was also inducted in 2021 into the Order of the Golden Fleece, the oldest and highest honorary society at UNC, for her commitment to strengthening student support.

Viji Sathy

Dr. Viji Sathy is a Professor of the Practice in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Associate Dean for Evaluation and Assessment, Director of the Townsend Program for Education Research, and Director of the Academic Leadership Program at the Institute for Arts & Humanities. She is a national expert on inclusive teaching, speaking and writing widely on the topic and co-founder of inclusifiED.com. Her research involves evaluating the impact of innovative teaching techniques as well as retention in STEM and directs evaluations of educational programs and curricula. She teaches undergraduate quantitative courses as course-based research experiences: statistics and research methodology, as well as maker courses. She is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including the campus’ Student’s choice for Best Professor at UNC and recently, The Society for The Teaching of Psychology (APA Division 2) Awardee for Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Prior to her current position at UNC, she worked at the College Board conducting research on the SATs and non-cognitive predictors of college success. She completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC (B.S.1996) and her doctorate in psychometrics from UNC-Chapel Hill (Ph.D. 2003). She was born in India but grew up in a small town in NC and is a proud recipient of public education (K-PhD) in NC.