23 Spartans honored in Triad Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, Outstanding Women in Business lists
Twenty-three UNC Greensboro staffers, alumni, and faculty have been recognized by the Triad Business Journal in its 40 Under 40 and Outstanding Women in Business lists. The honorees — ranging from business leaders and designers to nonprofit executives — highlight UNCG’s impact across the Triad and beyond.
UNCG’s Outstanding Women in Business
Juliette Bianco, Associate Vice Chancellor for Museums and Creative Practice and Anne and Ben Cone Memorial Endowed Director of the Weatherspoon Art Museum, carries a lengthy title and weighty responsibilities. The Weatherspoon Art Museum has been integral to the art community at UNCG and in Greensboro since 1941. It opened as the first public art gallery on any campus in the UNC System, and the fact that it is always free and open to the public weighed heavily in her decision to come to the G from Dartmouth College’s Hood Museum of Art.
“I was born in New York City, where many museums were free for all residents,” Bianco says. “So, I grew up going to places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which helped me understand why it’s so important to have spaces that are truly for all people. My entire career I’ve only worked in university-based museums that are free and open to everyone, like the Weatherspoon.”
This year, she’ll lead the opening of two new centers on the UNCG campus: The Jeanne Tannenbaum Center for Creative Practice and the Weatherspoon’s Cole Levin Center for Art and Human Understanding.
The Cole Levin Center is built on a gift from Carol Cole Levin, who donated funding for building renovations and programming, along with 270 works of contemporary art by more than 140 artists as part of UNCG’s Light the Way campaign. The center will be located on the first floor of the Weatherspoon and will house teaching, study, and exhibition spaces anchored by the Weatherspoon’s world-class collection of American art.
The Tannenbaum Center for Creative Practice, at the corner of Tate Street and Gate City Boulevard, will serve as a gateway to the UNCG campus. Its three main objectives are to be a hive of transdisciplinary creativity and academic innovation, to attract new students with creative opportunities, and to serve as a catalyst for innovation by bringing artists, academics, and community members together to solve shared challenges.
Both Centers are scheduled to open during the Fall 2026 semester.
“They’re going to reignite the idea that art and creativity at UNCG should serve our campus and community as broadly as possible,” Bianco says.
In addition to Bianco, seven UNCG alumnae were featured on TBJ’s Outstanding Women in Business list:
- Maria Adams (Class of ’93, BS Interior Design)
President/owner, Maria Adams Designs
- Angela Austin (Class of ’09, BS Interior Architecture)
Partner, MM Interior Design Group
- Jennifer Burcham-Flores (Class of ’03, BA English Language and Literature)
Owner, Le Petit Ballet Co.
- Taylor Ghost (Class of ’16, BFA Interior Design)
Senior Manager of Design Trade Sales and Marketing, Sunbrella
- Kristen Perry (Class of ’13 MPA)
CEO, Senior Services Inc.
- Ursula Robinson (Class of ’87, BSW Social Work)
CEO, PACE of the Triad
- Amber Seiler (Class of ’02, BS Registered Nursing, ’15 MSN)
Partner, CV Remote Solutions
Spartans under 40
Chartanay Bonner, director of strategic initiatives and research development within the Division of Research and Engagement, was named to the Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 list for the first time this year. Her entry on the list describes her dynamic role in expanding capacities of research at the University.
Her successes include leading the department to a record-high $200 million in research proposal submissions last year, designing a roadmap for UNCG to reach R1 status under the Carnegie Research Classification framework, building two STEM institutes, and launching two workforce pipelines.
Bonner’s UNCG journey began at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, a collaboration with NC A&T State University, where she says she began to recognize the value of collaboration in research and developed skills in building research infrastructure.
She moved to the research division in 2024.
“Through funding and strategic initiatives, I get to support the university, faculty, scholars, and the community,” she says of her current role. “We also keep an eye on what’s happening regionally, statewide, and nationally to understand what trends are taking place, particularly shifts in AI, cybersecurity, healthcare, and resources for research. I get the beauty of thinking about initiatives to support faculty research as we’re on the journey from an R2 facility to R1.”
Along with Bonner, 12 young alumni, one part-time faculty member, and one former faculty member were named to TBJ’s list:
- Alex Wolfe (Class of ’11, BS Information Systems and Operations Management)
President, Wolfe Homes
- Ellen Trastelis (Class of ’16, BS Business Administration and Management)
Senior Director Human Resources, Pace Communications
- Rachel Stafford (Class of ’09, BFA Interior Architecture)
Associate Principal Interior Design/Partner, CJMW Architecture
- Taylor Potts (Class of ’16, BBA)
Regulatory Compliance and Risk Specialist, Truliant Federal Credit Union
- Torrey Orlopp (Class of ’15, BFA Interior Architecture, ’19 MFA Interior Architecture and Historic Preservation)
Senior Interior Designer, CPL Architecture, Engineering, Planning
- Blaire McLanahan (former faculty)
Managing Attorney, Law Offices of Cheryl David
- Samantha Loy (Class of ’12, BS Business Administration)
Agency Owner, Always Best Senior Care Services
- Ashley Lauren (Class of ’11, BS Interior Architecture)
Design Director and Partner, MM Interior Design Group
- Mary-Helen Kolousek (Class of ’23, BS, Marketing and Business Administration)
Student Engagement Manager, Action Greensboro
- Auston Homan (faculty, Community & Therapeutic Recreation)
COO, Triad Fusion Inc.
- Laura Fehlhafer (Class of ’09, BA English Language and Literature)
Director of Communications and Advocacy, Impact Alamance
- Warché Downing (Class of ’17 MEd, ’25 PhD)
Dean of Student Success and Engagement, Greensboro College
- Melissa Browning (Class of ’09, BS Registered Nursing)
Executive Director, Ambulatory Operations, Urgent Care, Cone Health
- Mason Barringer (Class of ’13, BS Accounting)
Partner, Director of Assurance Services, DMJPS PLLC
Story by Brian Clarey, University Communications
Photos by Sean Norona, University Communications
