57 Notable alumni of
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Updated:
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte is 1011th in the world, 369th in North America, and 347th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 57 notable alumni from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Matt Hardy
- Occupations
- writertelevision producerprofessional wrestler
- Biography
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Matthew Moore Hardy is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), where he is one-half of the reigning TNA World Tag Team Champions in his third reign. He is best known for his tenures in WWE and All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
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Clay Aiken
- Occupations
- politicianactorsinger
- Biography
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Clayton Holmes Aiken is an American singer, television personality, actor and political activist. Aiken finished second place on the second season of American Idol in 2003, and his debut album, Measure of a Man, went multi-platinum. He released four more albums on the RCA label, Merry Christmas with Love (2004), A Thousand Different Ways (2006), the Christmas EP All is Well (2006), and On My Way Here (2008). Since then he has released two more albums, both with Decca Records: Tried and True (2010) and Steadfast (2012). Aiken has also had eleven tours in support of his albums. In all, he has sold over 5 million albums, and is the fourth-highest-selling American Idol alumnus.
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Michael Haley
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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William Michael Haley is an American businessman and commissioned officer in the South Carolina Army National Guard who served as the first gentleman of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017. He was the first to hold the position. He is currently serving an active duty deployment as a staff officer with the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in the Horn of Africa. Haley is the husband of Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina, ambassador of the US to the United Nations, and candidate for President of the United States in the 2024 Republican Party primaries.
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Cedric Maxwell
- Enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in geography and African American literature
- Occupations
- sports commentatorbasketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Cedric Bryan Maxwell is an American retired professional basketball player now in radio broadcasting. Nicknamed "Cornbread", he played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and played a key role in two championships with the Boston Celtics.
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Heather Childers
- Occupations
- reporter
- Biography
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Heather Star Childers is an American television news anchor. She was a former anchor of the first hour of Fox & Friends First for Fox News Channel, and worked for the organization from 2010 until 2020.
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Dan Forest
- Occupations
- architectpolitician
- Biography
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Dan Forest is an American politician who served as the 34th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2021. He is the son of former congresswoman Sue Myrick. An architect by trade, he was the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent governor Roy Cooper.
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Kelley Earnhardt Miller
- Occupations
- NASCAR team owner
- Biography
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Kelley King Earnhardt Miller is an American businesswoman. She is the chief executive officer of JR Motorsports which she co-owns with her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and she is the daughter of Dale Earnhardt. The team's driver Chase Elliott won the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series title. In 2018, Tyler Reddick, another driver for JR Motorsports, won the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship.
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Vani Hari
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
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Vani Deva Hari, who blogs as the Food Babe, is an American author, activist, and affiliate marketer who criticizes the food industry. She started the Food Babe blog in 2011, and it received over 54 million views in 2014.
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Malek Jandali
- Enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- 2003-2004 graduated with master's degree in business management
- Occupations
- composersound artistpianistpeace activistmusicologist
- Biography
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Malek Jandali is a West German-born Syrian-American composer and pianist, whose music integrates Middle-Eastern modes and Arabic Maqams into Western structures of classical music. He is the founder of the nonprofit organization Pianos for Peace, which aims to build peace through music and education. Jandali immigrated to the United States and studied music in North Carolina. Since then, he has performed with orchestras across the world and composed a number of modern classical works. His music was described as "a major new addition to the 21st century symphonic literature" by Fanfare magazine. with "heart-rending melodies, lush orchestration, clever transitions and creative textures", according to American Record Guide. Jandali's music ranges from chamber works to large symphonic compositions integrating Middle-Eastern and Western influences. He is the biological paternal cousin of Steve Jobs and Mona Simpson.
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Michael Whatley
- Occupations
- law clerkgeneral counsel
- Biography
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Michael Whatley is an American politician and lawyer who has served as chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC) since March 2024. Before this, he was chair of the North Carolina Republican Party for five years, the last year of which he also served as the RNC's general counsel.
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Alex Highsmith
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Alex Highsmith is an American professional football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Charlotte.
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Nicole Atkins
- Occupations
- singer-songwritercomposer
- Biography
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Nicole Atkins is an American singer-songwriter. Her influences include 1950s crooner music, 1960s psychedelia, soul music, and the Brill Building style of writing. Atkins has been compared to Roy Orbison and singers from the Brill Building era.
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Benjamin Chavis
- Occupations
- activist
- Biography
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Benjamin Franklin Chavis Jr. is an African-American activist, author, journalist, and the current president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association. He serves as national co-chair for the political organization No Labels.
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Danielle Trotta
- Occupations
- sports journalist
- Biography
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Danielle Trotta is an American journalist who covers auto racing for Sirius XM. She was the co-host of NASCAR Race Hub, and the pre-race show NASCAR RaceDay for Xfinity Series events on Fox Sports 1. Trotta started her career in high school, and after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she worked for local station WBTV. She moved to Fox Sports in July 2010 where she has covered NASCAR and the NFL. In 2018, she joined the cast of Boston Sports Tonight at NBC Sports Boston.
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Pierriá Henry
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Pierriá Henry is an American-born naturalized Senegalese professional basketball player who last played for Saski Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before playing professionally in Georgia, Germany, Israel, Spain, Turkey and Russia.
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Kyle J. White
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Kyle Jerome White is an American financial analyst and former United States Army soldier. He is the seventh living recipient of the Medal of Honor from the War in Afghanistan.
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Richard Hudson
- Enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- In 1996 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianbusiness executive
- Biography
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Richard Lane Hudson Jr. is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 9th congressional district since 2013 (previously numbered the 8th district). A member of the Republican Party, his district covers a large part of the southern Piedmont area from Concord to Spring Lake.
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Joe Swedish
- Occupations
- chief executive officer
- Biography
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Joseph Robert Swedish is an American healthcare executive and leader. He is a former senior adviser to the board of directors at Anthem, Inc., a Fortune 29 company, and was the CEO of Anthem, Inc. from 2013 to 2017. For 12 years in a row Swedish was named Modern Healthcare’s one of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
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Tricia Cotham
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Patricia Ann Cotham is an American politician, lobbyist and former schoolteacher. She is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 105th district, based in Mecklenburg County.
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Matt Tifft
- Occupations
- racing driver
- Biography
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Matthew Kenneth Tifft is an American professional stock car racing driver and former team owner. He currently competes part-time in the Super Late Models, driving the No. 36 Chevrolet SS for Dan Fredricksonn Racing. In 2020, with his racing career in question due to a past brain tumor and a diagnosis of epilepsy, he became part owner of Live Fast Motorsports with B. J. McLeod & Joe Falk, becoming the youngest team owner in NASCAR Cup Series history. Tifft also was named to the 2022 Forbes 30 under 30 Class. Medical issues sidelined Tifft as a driver from the end of 2019 until the end of 2023 season.
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Joe Posnanski
- Occupations
- sports journalistjournalistauthor
- Biography
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Joe Posnanski, nicknamed "Poz" and "Joe Po", is an American sports journalist. A former senior columnist for Sports Illustrated (where he wrote a blog called "Curiously Long Posts") and columnist for The Kansas City Star, he currently writes for his personal blog JoeBlogs.
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Martha Thomas
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Martha Ellen Thomas is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for Women's Super League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Scotland national team.
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Pedro Pinto
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Pedro Mendonça Pinto is a Portuguese-American journalist and communications professional. Currently he is the founder and CEO of a sports communications agency called Empower Sports*. Previously, he worked as managing director of communications at UEFA in Switzerland. Pinto was also a sports anchor for CNN International in Atlanta and London, covering the world’s highest profile events, including 2002 FIFA World Cup, hosting the UEFA Euro 2004 in which his home country hosted, and UEFA Champions League finals.
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Anna Clendening
- Occupations
- vloggertelevision producerYouTubersinger
- Biography
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Anna Clendening is an American singer, actress, and Internet personality, known originally for being one of the most followed people on the now-defunct video sharing service Vine, and later as a contestant on season 9 of America's Got Talent. Now focusing primarily on her music career, Clendening has amassed over 144 million views on her YouTube channel and over 300 million streams on Spotify as of March 2022.
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John Maine
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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John Kevin Maine is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He batted and threw right-handed.
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Jon Busch
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Jon Busch is an American professional soccer coach and former player, who played as a goalkeeper. Busch is currently the goalkeeping coach for USL Championship club Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
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Bobby Lutz
- Occupations
- basketball coachteacher
- Biography
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Bobby Lutz is an American basketball coach. He is currently an Associate AD for the University of Mississippi Rebels men's basketball team. From 2016 to 2017, he was an assistant coach of the Windy City Bulls of the NBA Development League. He previously was an associate head coach at North Carolina State University Wolfpack men's basketball team after being an assistant coach there. Lutz was also head coach of the Charlotte 49ers basketball team from 1998 to 2010.
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Brandt Bronico
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Brandt James Bronico is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC.
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Dylan Lupton
- Occupations
- racing driver
- Biography
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Dylan Jarin Lupton is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 15 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for AM Racing, part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 02 Chevrolet Silverado for Young's Motorsports, and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series driving the No. 30 Mustang for Rette Jones Racing. He has also competed in the NASCAR Cup Series, what is now the ARCA Menards Series East, and the ARCA Menards Series West in the past.
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Peter Joseph Jugis
- Occupations
- Catholic priestCatholic bishop
- Biography
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Peter Joseph Jugis is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who was the bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte in North Carolina from 2003 to 2024.
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Duggar Baucom
- Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
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Robert Franklin "Duggar" Baucom is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head men's basketball coach at The Citadel. Baucom was hired as the Citadel's head coach following the 2014–15 season. He was previously the head coach at Virginia Military Institute. He's also served a coach at Tusculum, Davidson, Western Carolina and Northwestern State.
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Giuseppe Gentile
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Giuseppe Vincenzo Gentile is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Swiss club Chur 97.
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Joey Coulter
- Occupations
- racing driver
- Biography
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Joseph Coulter IV is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes in the SMART Modified Tour for his own team.
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Tyler Gibson
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Tyler Gibson is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for USL Championship club Oakland Roots.
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Terry Bellamy
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Terry M. Bellamy is the former mayor of Asheville, North Carolina. She was first elected to the Asheville City Council in 1999 and won re‑election in 2003. She was elected mayor in November 2005, defeating incumbent Mayor Charles Worley in the October primary. Bellamy became the youngest mayor in North Carolina at the age of 33 and the first African-American Mayor of Asheville. Bellamy, a Democrat, received 10,534 votes to opponent Joe Dunn's 8,004 votes (43.2%). She won re-election in 2009. Bellamy chose not to run for another term in 2013, but instead announced plans to run for the U.S. House of Representatives for a second time.
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Anne Tompkins
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Anne Magee Tompkins is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
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Jobey Thomas
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jobey Wayne Thomas is an American retired basketball player who competed for a number of professional clubs, mostly in Italy, with a short but successful spell in Portuguese basketball.
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Mark Davidson
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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John Mark Davidson, is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1986 to 1991 for the Minnesota Twins and Houston Astros.
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Darion Clark
- Occupations
- basketball playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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Darion Clark is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college basketball at the University of Southern California.
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Keith Williams
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Keith David Williams, is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. At 6'0" (1.83 m) tall, he played at the point guard position.
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Jon Davis
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jonathan Renard Davis is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Charlotte 49ers of Conference USA. He plays the point guard position.
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Lamont Mack
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Lamont Mack is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Dinamo Tbilisi.
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Trevin Parks
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Trevin Marcel Parks is an American professional basketball player for Södertälje BBK of the Basketligan. He played college basketball for UNC Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith, being named a Division II All-American twice.
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Vickie Sawyer
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Victoria Burgess Sawyer is a Republican member of the North Carolina Senate. She represents the Senate's 37th district which includes Iredell and Mecklenburg Counties. Sawyer was previously appointed to serve in the Senate for District 34. Prior to that, she served in Senate District 44 from August 2, 2018 to January 2019.
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Cecil Brockman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Cecil Antonio Brockman is an American politician from North Carolina. He was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2014. A member of the Democratic party, he has represented the 60th district (including constituents in southwestern Guilford County, including all of Jamestown and Pleasant Garden and portions of Greensboro and High Point) since 2015.
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Matthew Michalewicz
- Years
- 1976-.. (age 49)
- Enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Graduated with Bachelor in Business Administration
- Occupations
- entrepreneurauthor
- Biography
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Matthew Michalewicz is a Polish entrepreneur and author with experience in the fields of technology, commercialization and supply chain management. He is the co-author of a number of books and publications, some of which have been adapted into courses on problem solving in colleges and universities. He is the co-founder of NuTech Solutions (founded in 1999), SolveIT Software (founded in 2004), and Complexica (founded in 2014), companies that he started with his father Zbigniew Michalewicz. In 2012, SolveIT Software Pty Ltd, was acquired by Schneider Electric.
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R. Andrew Murray
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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R. Andrew Murray is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina from 2017 to 2021. He previously served as the elected Mecklenburg County District Attorney. Prior to becoming the District Attorney of Mecklenburg County in 2011, Murray was an Assistant District Attorney in Mecklenburg County and a criminal defense attorney and managing partner in a North Carolina law firm. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1980 and was later commissioned as an officer in the United States Coast Guard Reserve. In 2016, he retired as a captain after 35 years of service.
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Keyshawn Woods
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Keyshawn Woods is an American professional basketball player. He played collegiately for Charlotte, Wake Forest and Ohio State. In 2023, he won the Icelandic championship with Tindastóll and was named the Playoffs MVP.
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DeAndrea Salvador
- Occupations
- politicianeconomist
- Biography
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DeAndrea Salvador is a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. She has represented the 39th Senate district since 2021. She is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Renewable Energy Transition Initiative, a nonprofit that educates communities and leaders about energy conservation and affordability. She was a 2018 TED Fellow. Elected at age 30, Salvador is the youngest Black woman ever to serve in the North Carolina General Assembly.
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Gökhan Şirin
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Osman Gökhan Şirin is a Turkish basketball player who plays for KB Bora of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague.
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E.J. Drayton
- Years
- 1982-.. (age 43)
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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E. J. Drayton is an American former professional basketball player for the Akita Northern Happinets of the Japanese bj league.
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Mary Gardner Belk
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Mary Gardner Belk is a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's eighty-eighth House district, which includes portions of Southeast Mecklenburg County. 2017 was her first year in North Carolina House. In the 2017–2018 session, Belk served on the Transportation, Banking, and Justice and Public Safety Appropriations Committees.
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W. Ted Alexander
- Enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in political science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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William Theodore Alexander III is an American politician.
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Amanda Dowe
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Amanda Dowe is an American professional basketball player.
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Robert A. Rucho
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Robert Anthony Rucho, a dentist from Matthews, North Carolina, is a former Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's thirty-ninth Senate district, including parts of Mecklenburg County.
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John R. Gordy II
- Years
- 1966-.. (age 59)
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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John R. Gordy II is a United States Air Force major general who most recently was the assistant deputy under secretary for international affairs. He previously commanded the United States Air Force Expeditionary Center.
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Luke Waechter
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Luke Waechter is an American soccer player.
