Catalyze

For MLK Day, scholar host Benny Klein ’24 interviews Wendell McCain ’92, the son of activist Franklin McCain of the Greensboro Four. Wendell shares about what it was like to grow up around one of the leaders of the civil rights movement and the lessons he learned from his father about pursuing justice. He also talks about his journey through the financial world and how he’s found ways to support and uplift those around him. 

Wendell is the chair and CEO of Onset Capital Partners, a global asset management firm based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The alumnus received his bachelor’s degree in economics from UNC–Chapel Hill, followed by an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. 

This is the first episode hosted by Benny Klein ’24 and produced by Lia Salvatierra ’24 of the Morehead-Cain Scholar Media Team. In his new series, Benny speaks with Morehead-Cain Alumni about how they’ve been able to balance their career aspirations while creating a positive impact on the world. 

Music credits

This episode features songs by Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts and Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

Rob Gourley ’18 is a documentary producer, cinematographer, and video editor based in Chico, California. During the pandemic, the alumnus was working for the Los Angeles Times as a video producer when an opportunity came up to work for PBS on a NOVA series about electric airplanes. What was intended to be a sabbatical turned into the launch of Rob’s career into freelance.

Rob shares with Catalyze about his decision to take a big risk, his aspirations to make a documentary about wildfires, and how he became one of the first videographers for the show Doug to the Rescue.

Music credits

This episode features songs by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul, and Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts.

 

Upon his return from the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Billy Pizer ’90 joined Catalyze to analyze the major announcements made and new global carbon market rules. The economist also shares his thoughts on the role of technologies backing cryptocurrencies in emissions reporting and payments. 

Billy is the vice president for research and policy engagement for Resources for the Future, a nonprofit research institution based in Washington, D.C. The alumnus worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury as deputy assistant secretary for environment and energy.

Billy received his bachelor’s degree in physics as a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned a combined master’s and PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1996.

(Photo by William Bossen via Unsplash)

Music credits

This episode features intro music by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, millions of women have dropped out of the workforce, and many have yet to rejoin. 

Ursula Dimmling Mead ’02 has been studying what women want at work for the bulk of her career. She built a tool to help women make data-informed decisions about where to apply (and where to avoid applying).

Ursula is the founder and CEO of InHerSight, the largest company-reviews platform for women. The alumna joined Catalyze to share how the pandemic has changed the ways in which women seek and conduct work, how companies can become more women-friendly and attract female talent, and strategies for women to find their best workplace fit. 

Catalyze is also joined by Anna Pickens ’23, who interned at InHerSight during summer 2021. 

This episode features songs by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul, and Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts. 

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

Seth Shelden ’98 is the United Nations liaison for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). The coalition was awarded the Nobel Peace Price in 2017 for its work to bring about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). 

The TPNW outlaws the use, testing, development, production, possession, and transfer of nuclear weapons, and it outlines how countries can destroy their own stockpiles. It also stipulates victim assistance, environmental remediation, and other humanitarian efforts as part of each participating country’s obligations.

Seth is also a partner in the law firm of Farkas & Neurman, an adjunct professor at the City University of New York School of Law, and vice president of Ground UP Productions. The alumnus received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in international studies (with concentrations in economics and peace, war, and defense). He earned his J.D. from University of California, Berkeley, School of Law in 2002.

Seth offers insights on Biden’s projected nuclear arms policy, how U.S. universities serve as research and development pipelines, and what anyone can do to divest from companies involved in building and maintaining nuclear weapons. 

ICAN reports, resources, and other references mentioned in the episode:

• Complicit: 2020 global nuclear weapons spending
• Schools of Mass Destruction: American Universities in the U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex
• Take the University Pledge 
• Don’t Bank on the Bomb project
• Cities Appeal (#ICANSAVEMYCITY) 
• The Doomsday Clock 

Follow ICAN on Twitter,  Facebook, and Instagram. You can follow Seth on Twitter.

The intro music for this episode is by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. The outro song, “On the Island,” is by the artist Godmode. 

Catalyze is joined by Geoff Milliner, the COO of the Chattanooga Enterprise Center and a 2021 Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain, and Montez Thomas, assistant director of scholar advising at Morehead-Cain. This episode is the second in a two-part series on the Civic Collaboration program. 

The Enterprise Center tasked their team of Morehead-Cain Scholars to explore the impact of “smart city” investments and technologies on quality of life, as well as its intersection with social determinants of health. The center is a nonprofit devoted to establishing Chattanooga as a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. 

More than a dozen teams of scholars participated in this year’s Civic Collaboration program. Rising second-year scholars investigated their designated communities’ challenges and opportunities and proposed meaningful solutions. 

Learn more about the 2021 Civic Collaboration program. 

Becoming a Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain

Hosts propose a problem or issue for scholars to address together, provide guidance and mentorship, and share information and resources pertinent to the projects. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship provides each scholar with a cost-of-living stipend and transportation to and from the host city (hosts are not expected to provide financial assistance to scholars).

To learn more about partnering with Morehead-Cain for future Civic Collaboration projects, contact Montez Thomas or visit our website.

This episode features songs by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul, and Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts. 

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

Catalyze is joined by Liz Kistin Keller ’04 of the City of Albuquerque’s Office of the Mayor and a 2021 Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain. This episode is the first in a two-part series on the Civic Collaboration program. 

The Office of the Mayor tasked their team of Morehead-Cain Scholars to explore the online user experiences of the 50+ population in order to improve their access to internet-based services provided by local government. 

More than a dozen teams of scholars participated across the country in this year’s Civic Collaboration program. Rising second-year scholars investigated their designated communities’ challenges and opportunities and proposed meaningful solutions. 

Learn more about the 2021 Civic Collaboration program. 

Becoming a Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain

Hosts propose a problem or issue for scholars to address together, provide guidance and mentorship, and share information and resources pertinent to the projects. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship provides each scholar with a cost-of-living stipend and transportation to and from the host city (hosts are not expected to provide financial assistance to scholars).

To learn more about partnering with Morehead-Cain for future Civic Collaboration projects, contact Montez Thomas or visit our website.

This episode features songs by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul, and Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts. 

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

Catalyze is back for the fall season, and we have a lot to share about. 

RSVP for this semester’s events: 

• Find your class-year decade event with Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford.
• Learn more about the (Mini) Forum’s events, beginning the week of November 15th and leading up to our Day of Giving.

The music for this episode is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

We’re launching our fall season with J. R. Ching ’01, the chief financial officer for Yoma Strategic Holdings. We asked J. R. to join the show to help us understand the military coup in Myanmar and to hear how his company has managed the ongoing crisis as the Delta variant continues to surge throughout the country. 

The music for this episode was produced and contributed by Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts.

Nicholas is a producer, guitarist, and singer, and a graduate student at the Parsons School of Design in NYC. The alumnus earned his bachelor’s degree from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media with a minor in music. 

Follow Nicholas @art.sandcrafts on Instagram or on Spotify.

This episode also featured intro music by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. An audio clip of protests used in this episode was contributed by YouTube user Bendobrown. You can watch the full video here.

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

Catalyze invited Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts back to the series to talk about his latest music projects, and because we thought you might want to learn more about the artist behind the music that’s featured on the show. 

We first brought Nicholas to Catalyze in October 2020 as the producer, guitarist, and singer was road-tripping across the country with Eric Lee ’18 and Sam Lowe ’20. 

Nicholas spoke with us from Smithonia, an unincorporated community about 20 minutes outside Athens, Georgia. He shared about his collaborations with Sam (whose music project is called Sacra Monet) and singer-songwriter and guitarist Audrey Walsh (UNC-Chapel Hill Class of 2023), a DJ at Carolina’s student-run radio station, WXYC 89.3 FM. 

Nicholas also talked about how AI-powered tools will advance digital music production, how a “shake-up” in the creative landscape of social media platforms could shift dollars back into the hands of content creators, takeaways about manipulating sound and light from Berlin’s music scene, and a new opportunity on the horizon in New York City.

Sam is a graduate student at Stanford University pursuing a master’s degree in computer science with minors in cognitive science and music. Follow the alumnus at @sacra.monet on Instagram or on Spotify. 

Nicholas earned his bachelor’s degree from the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media with a minor in music. In addition to his music, Nicholas works on freelance video assignments and digital advertising and social media campaigns. In spring 2021, the alumnus was accepted into the MFA program in lighting design at the Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Follow Nicholas @art.sandcrafts on Instagram or on Spotify.

This episode also featured music by Jake Wilson (UNC-Chapel Hill Class of 2020) of Untldsnd.

Note: This interview was conducted over the internet for a video recording. You can view the video teaser for this episode on Morehead-Cain’s Youtube or Instagram page. 

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].