Carolina Development, UNC-Chapel Hill

Senior Staff Biographies

Kupec, Matt

Vice Chancellor for University Advancement

kupec Kupec was appointed vice chancellor for University Advancement in 1995. As UNC's chief advancement officer, he is responsible for the development and university relations divisions. During his tenure at Carolina, the University has been recognized as having one of the best development operations in America, earning more "Outstanding Fund-Raising Performance" awards from the prestigious CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education) organization than any other institution, public or private. He is the longest-serving vice chancellor in the University's history. Kupec spearheaded the most ambitious fund-raising effort in UNC history - the $2.38 billion Carolina First Campaign that was completed in December 2007, the 5th largest completed campaign in the history of American higher education. He first returned to Chapel Hill in 1992 as associate vice chancellor for development to direct the successful $440 million Bicentennial Campaign for Carolina, at that time the largest fund-raising effort in UNC history. Prior to joining Carolina, Kupec served as the associate vice president for development and alumni relations at Hofstra University, successfully leading Hofstra's first ever campaign, a $32 million initiative. Kupec received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Carolina in 1980. As an undergraduate, he was the Tar Heels' starting quarterback for four years, setting 19 season and career passing records and being named the Most Valuable Player in the 1977 Liberty Bowl and the 1979 Gator Bowl. Two of Kupec's records - most consecutive games with a touchdown pass and most wins as a starter - still remain. Kupec earned his master's degree in educational administration from Hofstra University in 1984.

Dunn, Elizabeth

Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for University Development

dunn As UNC's senior associate vice chancellor of University Development, Dunn is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Carolina's central development office, managing 10 departments and more than 75 staff with an annual operating budget of $9.5 million. Dunn received her Ph.D. in English from Carolina in 1985 and returned to her alma mater to assume her current position in 2004. Her previous development experience includes 12 years at the University of Texas at Austin as director of corporate and foundation relations at the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center and as assistant dean for development in the College of Communications; and as director of development at Stratford Hall in Virginia. Before beginning her development career, Dunn served as a faculty member for 11 years at The University of Texas Tyler and Austin campuses. A native of Nacogdoches, Texas, she received her B.A. in English in 1977 from Stephen F. Austin University with highest honors and her M.A. in English from The University of North Texas in 1980.

Braxton, Beth

Director of Annual Giving

braxton Braxton graduated from UNC in 1990 with a B.A. in journalism and moved to Tacoma, Wash., where she worked for Weyerhaeuser. She returned to North Carolina in 1991 and began her career in fund raising with the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation and Hospice of Winston-Salem. In 1995, she accepted a position as assistant director of Rowan Regional Medical Center Foundation in Salisbury. In 1998, she became the director of the Lexington Memorial Hospital Foundation. Braxton joined UNC's Medical Foundation of North Carolina in June 1999 as director of alumni campaigns. In August 2000, she joined Kenan-Flagler Business School as interim director, annual giving and special projects, and in January 2001 assumed the position of major gifts officer. In February 2002, Braxton became assistant dean of development and alumni affairs at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and assumed her current position in November 2003.

Frazier, Diane

Director of Major Gifts

frazier Frazier received a B.A. in psychology from UNC in 1974. She also received, in 1981, a studio diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she was also a teaching assistant in art history. For a decade, she taught persons with developmental disabilities at the Walter Fernald School in Waltham, Mass., and at the Minuteman Association for Retarded Citizens in Concord, Mass. From 1983 to1984, she was a recreation and art therapist at the Recreation Center for the Handicapped in San Francisco. In 1985, she joined the Development Office at Vanderbilt University, where she worked in reunion giving and served as director of development for the Blair School of Music. She returned to Carolina as a major gifts officer in 1991. Her current position is director of major gifts and senior major gifts officer.

Kass, Dave

Assistant Vice Chancellor for Information Services

Dave Kass Kass graduated from Bentley College in 1986 with a B.S. in management and a concentration in computer science. His start with Alumni and Development Information Systems began at Business Systems Resources (now a division of Sungard Higher Education) in 1990 while supporting Ball State, Texas Tech, Florida, Duke, Michigan and Central Florida. He relocated from New England to Durham after accepting a position within the Alumni and Development Systems Office at Duke University in 1996. He assumed his current position in October 2008. Kass lives in Durham with his wife, Catherine and their two children.

Meares, Mark

Director, Corporate and Foundation Relations

meares Meares graduated from UNC in 1978 with a B.A. in English. For the next 16 years, he worked at Village Companies in Chapel Hill, N.C., in various capacities: as sales manager and publisher of The Village Advocate, as general manager of Village Printing, as publisher of The Leader Magazine, and as general manager and executive vice president of The Village Advocate, Village Printing and the Triangle Pointer magazine. He then joined the Hudson Belk department store chain as marketing director in 1995 and was promoted to vice president in 1996. Meares has served on the boards of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation. He joined the University Advancement staff in April 1998 as associate director of corporate and foundation relations and became director of corporate and foundation relations for academic affairs in 2001. In 2009, he assumed the position of director for corporate and foundation relations.

Morgan, Laura

Director of University Events

morgan Morgan is a graduate of Connecticut College. She has produced events since 1985 when she joined the team for the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty and Operation Sail in 1986 in New York. She later worked for Celebrations International and the U.S. Committee for UNICEF on fund-raising events and special projects. As vice president, event marketing at Lehman Brothers, she managed a group planning events around the world. At Reuters, she established the corporate events group and led successful events in Europe and Asia for both Reuters and Instinet. Following her move to North Carolina in 2000, Morgan worked as a consultant to corporations and the U.S. government managing projects in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia. She is a member of the Council of Protocol Executives (COPE). She joined UNC in September 2003. Morgan and her family live in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Ragland, Scott

Director of Development Communications

ragland Ragland received a bachelor’s degree in English from UNC in 1987and a master’s degree in creative writing (fiction) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1993. Ragland was a staff reporter for two years at the Henderson Daily Dispatch in Henderson, N.C., before becoming assistant public information officer of the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, N.C., a position that he held from 1992 to1995. From 1995 to 1998 he held the post of director of public relations at Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C. In 1998 he was named Carolina's director of internal communications and edited the University Gazette, the faculty/staff newspaper. In July 2004, he assumed his current position in development.

Snow, Helen

Director, Health Affairs (Corporate and Foundation Relations)

snow Snow graduated from UNC in 1974 with a B.A. and earned her M.B.A. from Kenan-Flagler Business School in 1976. Snow is also a graduate of the Harvard Arts Administration Institute, the Grantsmanship Center, the Center for Creative Leadership, the American Museum Management Institute, the John F. Kennedy Arts Center International Exchange Program and the Leadership Greensboro and Hampton Roads, Va.., programs. From 1978 to 1996, Snow was president and chief executive officer of the United Arts Council of Greensboro, N.C., and then the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts. In 1996, Snow joined First Counsel Inc. as managing partner of the national fund-raising consulting firm. She returned to UNC in 1998 as associate director of corporate and foundations relations and assumed her present position in May 2001. Snow has served on numerous statewide and national professional boards and including serving as president/board member of the Association of Women Faculty and Professionals (AWFP) at UNC and on the national CASE Corporate & Foundation Conference planning committee.

Sobbe, Andi

Director of Donor and Prospect Relations

sobbe Sobbe graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind., in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in history. After graduation, she served in South Korea in the U.S. Peace Corps and worked for 10 years as a teacher of English as a Second Language in Korea, Venezuela, and Los Angeles. She subsequently served as director of admissions for the International School of Languages while teaching Spanish classes. She has been a fund-raiser since 1984, working for the Venice Family Clinic, the American Diabetes Association, Westside Children’s Center and as the director of development for the Los Angeles Free Clinic. Sobbe joined the UNC Development staff in 1993 as associate director of the annual fund. She was promoted to director of the annual fund and in 1998 she became director of the Carolina Annual Fund and Donor/Prospect Services. She received her master’s degree from the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2003. She assumed her present position in November 2003.