Catalyze

Noam Argov ’15 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Noam is a writer, director, and producer with Bright Panic Pictures and an MFA candidate at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. 

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 of Morehead-Cains.

The Alumni Forum embodies this spirit through SEVEN Talks—seven alumni and scholars on Saturday, and seven more on Sunday—each sharing seven minutes of wisdom with the Morehead-Cain community.

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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

Happy New Year! In this episode, Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford joins host Oni Terrado ’27 of the Scholar Media Team to reflect on an extraordinary year for the Program.

Chris shares highlights from the 2025 Alumni Forum and the launch of the Morehead-Cain Global Fellows program, which brought twelve exceptional leaders from five countries to Carolina. The president discusses how the Foundation is balancing innovation with tradition as the Program reaches its largest size ever, the arrival of former trustee Rachel Pfeifer ’02 as chief program officer, the challenge of counterprogramming pre-professional pressures, and his vision for “college as it should be.”

This year also marked major moments of community gathering: nearly 100 Black alumni and scholars celebrating 50 years of Black excellence, the reunion of the first class of women Morehead-Cains, and the 55th anniversary of the British Programme in London.

Music credits

The episode’s intro song is by scholar 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 ourRSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].

Jesse Stone Reeck ’05delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Jesse is the executive director of Northland Pioneer College Friends and Family scholarship foundation and a 2023 Morehead-Cain Impact Educator. 

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 of Morehead-Cains.

The Alumni Forum embodies this spirit through SEVEN Talks—seven alumni and scholars on Saturday, and seven more on Sunday—each sharing seven minutes of wisdom with the Morehead-Cain community.

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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

David Jernigan ’00 delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. David is the former CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. 

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 of Morehead-Cains.

The Alumni Forum embodies this spirit through SEVEN Talks—seven alumni and scholars on Saturday, and seven more on Sunday—each sharing seven minutes of wisdom with the Morehead-Cain community.

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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

Scott Heath ’96delivered a SEVEN Talk at the 2025 Alumni Forum in Chapel Hill on October 18. Scott is a visiting professor of Africana studies at the University of Pittsburgh. 

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 of Morehead-Cains.

The Alumni Forum embodies this spirit through SEVEN Talks—seven alumni and scholars on Saturday, and seven more on Sunday—each sharing seven minutes of wisdom with the Morehead-Cain community.

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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

This episode is a recording from the 2025 Alumni Forum of a panel entitled “Making Sense of AI, and the Revolution Reshaping How We Think, Work, Learn, and Relate.” 

The panel was moderated by Marina Chase Carreker ’03, founder of Galleon Strategies. Joining her were Lane Dilg ’99, former head of infrastructure policy and partnerships at OpenAI, and Thompson Paine ’05, head of product strategy and operations at Anthropic.

Music credits

The episode’s intro song is by scholar 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 Podcastsor Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].  

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 generations of Morehead-Cains.

The Alumni Forum embodies this spirit through SEVEN Talks—seven alumni and scholars on Saturday, and seven more on Sunday—each sharing seven minutes of wisdom with the Morehead-Cain community.

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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

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 with Mary. The financial literacy initiative is designed to make personal finance approachable and empowering for Gen Z. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcastsor Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

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 of Morehead-Cains.

The Alumni Forum embodies this spirit through SEVEN Talks—seven alumni and scholars on Saturday, and seven more on Sunday—each sharing seven minutes of wisdom with the Morehead-Cain community.

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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].   

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 time abroad with the UNC Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship, set the foundation for a purpose-led career. A Phi Beta Kappa inductee and Wilberforce Leadership Program alumna, Kristina discusses how community and curiosity continue to shape her approach to leadership.

She offers an inside look at how 11 Tribes Ventures evaluates startups and prioritizes mission alignment and character as much as financial viability. The conversation dives into her belief in challenging conventional VC practices, supporting visionary founders, and leading with empathy in high-stakes environments.

Kristina also shares insights for young professionals on navigating early career decisions, creating meaningful impact, and maintaining integrity—plus, what it was like to be named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in venture capital.

Music credits

The episode’s intro song is by scholar 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. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on social media @moreheadcain or you can email us at [email protected].