In nearly 200 years, the Wake Forest University community has searched for a president only 14 times. Wake Forest attracts a rare caliber of leader — one with uncompromising integrity and impeccable character with a strong guiding set of values and principles. To find that kind of leader requires a team of searchers who exhibit similar attributes. The members of the Search Committee listed below are the people responsible for finding and installing the 14th president of Wake Forest University.
Meet the Committee
Gerald Roach (’80, JD ’82, P ’09, P ’12, P ’12)
Gerald Roach, chair of the Wake Forest Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee, is a member of a four-generation Wake Forest family that has been connected with the University for nearly a century. Having a grandfather and father who were Wake Foresters, Gerald grew up a Demon Deacon fan and has never wavered.
Gerald began law school in his final undergraduate year at Wake Forest, and he attended both the College and the law school simultaneously in 1979-80. After receiving his JD in 1982, he joined Smith Anderson, the largest law firm based in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. At Smith Anderson, Gerald has grown and led a national practice in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and corporate governance, which includes advising boards, special committees, CEOs and CFOs. He serves as firm chair and immediate past managing partner.
In addition to his work in the law, Gerald has made it his goal to be part of organizations where relationships matter and discourse is encouraged and respected. He is a leader at White Memorial Presbyterian Church and serves with many business leader groups working for the good of the state of North Carolina, including as secretary of the NC Economic Recovery Task Force.
Rebecca Alexander (P ’22)
Raised by two scientists, Rebecca Alexander came into the field of science quite naturally. Entering her 21st year as a professor at Wake Forest, Rebecca combines her love for students, her expertise in science and her innate creativity to develop courses and curriculum that bring chemistry to life.
On campus, Rebecca wears many hats. She serves as professor of chemistry, director of Wake Downtown and associate dean for research and community engagement. She is also a proud parent of a member of the Wake Forest Class of 2022.
Rebecca finds Wake Forest students engaged, curious and enthusiastic. They will send her follow-up research papers, news stories and even memes that relate to classroom discussions. She mentors undergraduate and graduate students in her research lab. And she acknowledges that while the tension of being a teacher-scholar is ever present, it is also a key component of what makes Wake Forest special.
Donna Boswell (’72, MA ’74)
Donna Boswell fell in love with Wake Forest before she set foot on campus but the initial drive up Wake Forest Road, with its unfolding vision of the Reynolda campus, confirmed that she was home. More comforting in the turmoil of the sixties, she soon learned that Wake Forest faculty and staff valued inquisitiveness and initiative — even in women — and she met and made life long friends. The first woman in her family to obtain a college degree, Donna earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Wake Forest and a Ph.D. at the Pennsylvania State University, all in psychology. She taught psychology for ten years at Old Dominion University and Wesleyan University before accepting a fellowship with the American Association for the Advancement of Science to work on health policy in the United States Senate. She then earned a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was executive editor to the Law Review.
As an associate at the DC law firm of Hogan and Hartson, her science interests made her an asset on a team working to develop requirements for emerging mobile technologies in the days before Blackberries. Ultimately, she specialized in health care law and regulation, and as a partner in the global law firm of Hogan Lovells, she was able to work on new approaches for state and federal and regulation of pharmaceutical pricing, medical privacy, and health care reform, as well as participating in firm management.
Since 2004, Dr. Boswell has served as a member of the Board of Trustees and was named the first woman chair of the board, serving 2015-2018. During this time, she also has served on the Board of Directors of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and was elected its first woman chair for 2013-2015. As a member of the Medical Center and Wake Forest University Health Sciences boards, she is especially proud of the initiative to develop the Innovation Quarter, including a home for Wake Downtown and the promising new curricular initiatives developed by Wake faculty.
Since moving to Winston-Salem in 2015, Dr. Boswell has continued to be an advocate on all three boards for measures to ensure the success of this community for business innovation, with hopes of increasing good jobs, and a healthy downtown environment for the community of Winston-Salem. She believes that in our era, being enmeshed in a vibrant knowledge community, and the research and business synergies that it makes possible for the faculty and students of the university, graduate school and medical school (and sister universities), is one of the best ways to help student and faculty leaders realize their ambitions.
Jocelyn Burton (’80)
It has been four decades since Jocelyn Burton arrived at Wake Forest. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and Richmond, Virginia, in a family that learned to bridge differences. At Wake Forest in the late 1970s, she was one of only about two dozen African American female students. It was challenging, she said, but she forged a community of friends across campus that remains very close today.
After graduating with a degree in history, she earned a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from the University of Chicago. Early in her career, she defended the United States in a number of cases as an assistant U.S. attorney in San Francisco, including a stint as chief of the civil division under the leadership of U.S. attorney Robert S. Mueller III. The Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice recognized her work on behalf of victims of discrimination.
In 2011, she opened Burton Employment Law which specializes in the unique employer-employee laws of California. She has been recognized as a SuperLawyer in Northern California in the area of employment law since 2012. In addition to her legal practice, Jocelyn serves as an advocate for children and victims of discrimination.
Jermyn Davis (’10)
Jermyn Davis, a once aspiring professional double bassist, began his college career at Juilliard. However, he decided to pursue a liberal arts education and transferred to Wake Forest, where he double majored in political science and Chinese. At Wake Forest, he served as student body president and the student member of the Board of Trustees. He was also a member of the Black Student Alliance and Honor and Ethics Council, worked as a President’s Aide and wrote for the Old Gold and Black.
Jermyn became interested in a career in higher education when Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch offered him a position in the president’s office following Jermyn’s graduation. He quickly found out that he agreed with Forbes magazine, which stated that being a university president is one of the hardest jobs in America.
Jermyn went on to receive his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has worked as chief of staff at Colorado College and as a senior consultant at Deloitte Consulting. Jermyn also has served on the Colorado Springs Regional Alliance Higher Education Task Force and the Colorado Springs Conservatory Board of Directors. He now lives in Denver, Colorado, and works at Google as a cloud program manager who he helps strategically advise public sector and higher education organizations.
Candy Ergen (P ’12, P ’17)
Candy Ergen knew about Wake Forest because her husband had received his MBA from the School of Business in 1976. But she became invested in the University when two of her daughters began attending. In 2008, Candy was named to the Board of Trustees.
Candy is the co-founder of DISH Network. In 1980, she and her husband started building the company one satellite dish at a time by driving the roads of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, showing customers a new experience with television. Her vision, innovation and leadership helped build DISH into a household brand. Today, DISH Network has more than 10 million customers around the world. Candy lives in Denver, Colorado, and continues to serve as a senior advisor to the organization.
In addition to starting a revolutionary media company, Candy has raised six children and served on a variety of philanthropic boards, including the Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she is a lifetime trustee.
Herman Eure (Ph.D. ’74, P ’23)
Herman Eure came to Wake Forest in 1969 as the first full-time Black graduate student and then the first Black doctoral degree recipient on the Reynolda Campus. Aware of Wake Forest’s history, he believed in its motto — Pro Humanitate — and knew that there were many people in the community who wanted to live up to that aspiration.
After graduating, Herman initially turned down an offer to teach at Wake Forest, but then, he turned a two-year commitment into a 40-year investment in the students of Wake Forest. He was the first Black faculty member and an influential force in creating the Office for Minority Affairs — efforts that have evolved into what we now know as the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Intercultural Center and Magnolia Scholars.
Herman has been an exemplary teacher-scholar, regularly recognized for his distinguished teaching in his classroom and research in the field of biology. He also served as chair of the biology department and was named the first associate dean of faculty development. Herman’s mentorship and scholarship continued until his retirement in 2013, but his association with Wake Forest continues. In 2017, he received the Medallion of Merit, the University’s highest honor, and was named to the Board of Trustees, where he serves as vice chair.
Don Flow (MBA ’83)
Don Flow’s mother still has the first diploma her son received from Wake Forest: from Wake Forest Baptist Church kindergarten. The 5-year-old who “graduated” from the church’s kindergarten would go on to graduate from Wake Forest’s business school and become one of the University’s most dedicated leaders.
Don is chairman and chief executive officer of Flow Automotive Companies. He’s also chairman of Winston-Salem Professional Tennis and the Winston-Salem Open, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament held each August at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex. He is a driving force in Winston-Salem, leading numerous community organizations. Most recently, he founded Winston Starts, a nonprofit organization to help startup businesses get off the ground.
Don’s service to Wake Forest began more than two decades ago when he joined and later chaired the business school’s board of visitors. He was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2005 and chaired the board from 2012–15, a role his own father held years earlier. He has also served as the vice chair of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Board of Directors, a past chair of the Wake Forest Health Sciences Board of Directors, and chair of Wake Will: The Campaign for Wake Forest, which surpassed its $1 billion goal in 2020.
Julie Ann Hartman
(’90, P ’18, P ’19, P ’20, P ’22, P ’24)
For a quarter century, Julie Ann Hartman (’90) has juggled three passions: family, education and Wake Forest.
As a Wake Forest student-athlete, she majored in education and greatly appreciated the value of Wake Forest’s teacher-scholar model because it created an enriched personal experience. Following graduation, she taught elementary school in three states. When she and her husband Doug Hartman (’90) started a family of four sons in Austin, Texas, Julie Ann left the classroom and became a stay-at-home mom while earning her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin. Currently, Julie Ann works as an associate booking agent for The Booking Biz, working to bring authors and illustrators into schools.
As an avid fan of our athletics, Julie Ann has served as a member of the Deacon Club board since 2013, including two years as vice president and two years as president. She believes in Wake Forest athletics because of our dedication to integrity paired with a goal to achieve at the highest level of competitiveness. That loyalty transferred to the next generation. Though they grew up more than a thousand miles away, all four Hartman sons are Demon Deacons.
In addition to her service to Wake Forest, Julie Ann has served on the board of the Regents School of Austin and of Side By Side Kids in Austin, a free, faith-based, after-school program for underprivileged children.
Frank B. Holding Jr. (P ’13, P ’14, P ’18, P ’18)
The first in the Holding family to graduate from Wake Forest did so in 1888. Since then, many other Holdings have had their names etched on Wake Forest diplomas. Frank B. Holding Jr. learned about the University through the experiences of his father, brother, son, daughter and son-in-law, who are all Demon Deacons.
Frank is the chair and chief executive officer of Raleigh-headquartered First Citizens BancShares Inc. and its First Citizens Bank subsidiary. He directs the company with a focus toward a disciplined approach to banking, strong asset quality, a long-term perspective and attention to the needs of customers. Prior to his current duties, Frank was elected president of First Citizens in 1994 after serving in a variety of other senior management positions for the bank in the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Raleigh, Wilmington, Swansboro and Fayetteville.
In addition to being a Wake Forest Trustee, Frank currently serves as chair of the BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Board of Trustees and a member of Duke Energy Advisory Board, Mount Olive Pickle Company and Institute for Defense and Business. He is a past chair of the North Carolina Chamber and also a past member of the Campbell University Law School Board of Visitors.
Melissa Shields Jenkins (’01)
Melissa Shields Jenkins, associate professor of English, is the quintessential Wake Forest teacher-scholar. Her expertise in 19th-century British literature, gender studies, the history of the book and race studies, among other topics, makes her a versatile and well-respected member of the faculty.
But Melissa’s engagement in the Wake Forest community goes well beyond the classroom walls. She has served as a lower division academic adviser, the director of undergraduate studies for the English department and as a Faculty Fellow. She was an early participant in Wake Forest’s Academic Community Engagement (ACE) fellowship program and regularly teaches service-learning classes that take first-year students out into the community to volunteer. Her engagement and service to students earned her the 2019 Schoonmaker Faculty Award for Community Service.
Melissa, who met her husband at Wake Forest and was married in Davis Chapel, received her master’s degree and doctorate from Harvard University. In 2008, she was overjoyed when presented with a chance to return to her alma mater as a faculty member.
Matt King (’82, P ’08, P ’12)
Matt King pleased his mother when he earned a golf scholarship to Wake Forest. She knew that he would be in a nurturing community committed to shaping the common good. He has remained forever grateful for her guidance. While Matt was the first in his family to graduate from college, there are now close to 30 Wake Forest graduate between his family and his wife, Llew Ann’s, family.
After earning a history degree at Wake Forest, Matt went into banking. He has worked in commercial banking, office products distribution and is now in healthcare venture capital. He is currently the managing partner of FCA Venture Partners, a major investor in emerging health care companies in and around Nashville.
Matt currently serves as vice chair of the Wake Forest Board of Trustees, a Director of WFU Health Sciences and most recently became a Director of WFUBMC. Additionally, he has been in leadership roles on numerous charitable boards in Nashville, including Christ Presbyterian Church and Christ Presbyterian Academy. He and Llew Ann served on the Parents Council and as Chairs in 2010-11. The most meaningful opportunity was serving as board chair and mentor at Salama Urban Ministries, an organization that provides after school programs that help youth from tough situations change the trajectory of their lives.
Jim O’Connell (’13)
Jim O’Connell would tell you that Wake Forest took a chance on him; and Wake Forest would tell you that the 2013 graduate made the most of the opportunity.
As a student, Jim majored in politics and international affairs, served as a student member of the Wake Forest Board of Trustees and chaired the Honor and Ethics Council. He also led the effort to create an LGBTQ Center at the University and helped organize events for the Faces of Courage program celebrating the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Wake Forest.
After serving for one year as a Wake Forest Fellow in the president’s office, he became a Rhodes Scholar. He earned two master’s degrees from Oxford — one in history, the other in religious studies — and interned on the vetting team of the Obama White House before returning to his hometown of Tampa, Florida.
Jim currently serves as president of Vinik Family Office. In addition, Jim serves on various nonprofit and private boards, including the Tampa Bay Partnership, Fairgrounds, Embold Health and Knack Technologies (observer). He also serves as secretary of Embarc Collective, a nonprofit startup hub.
Wilson Parker (P ’00, P ’10)
Wilson Parker came to Wake Forest when he was 29 years old to teach law. Now, four decades later, he is the longest-serving law professor on the faculty. Between the service of Wilson and his late wife Debbie, who served as the dean of students at the law school, and the attendance of two of his three children (and one daughter-in-law) at the college, the Parker family has a combined 73 years at Wake Forest.
Wilson is an expert teacher and scholar in the area of constitutional law. He is a primary author, with Wake Forest law professor Michael Curtis, of “Constitutional Law in Context,” a constitutional law casebook in its fourth edition. He also teaches seminars on legal philosophy, comparative constitutional law and the history of the United States Supreme Court.
Wilson is the director of the law school’s summer Pre-Law Program for Undergraduates and teaches a First Year Seminar in the College. He is also the author of “Ignorance Is No Defense: A College Student’s Guide to North Carolina Law,” with J. Tom Morgan. Wilson has been named the recipient of the Student Bar Association’s Professor of the Year Teaching Award. He has also served six terms in the Wake Forest Faculty Senate and has been elected its president three times.
Prior to joining the faculty in 1981, Wilson was a trial lawyer in private practice in North Carolina, litigating employment, civil rights and civil liberties cases. He spent the spring semester of 1997 as a scholar-in-residence at University College Cork in Cork, Ireland. He served as chair of the Amicus Curiae Committee of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice for several years and has been on the board of the North Carolina Center for Death Penalty Litigation.
Savarni Sanka (’21)
Savarni Sanka grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and applied to Wake Forest where she earned the prestigious Joseph G. Gordon Scholarship, a full, merit-based scholarship.
Savarni is a politics and Spanish major with a minor in Middle East and South Asia studies. She has served as president of the Hindu Students Association, vice president of the Student Association for the Advancement of Refugees, member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Panel, and a President’s Aide. Her junior year, she represented Wake Forest at the Student Conference on U.S. Affairs at the U.S. Military Academy, an event that led to her co-authorship of a paper on diplomacy, energy security and authoritarianism in the Middle East. Savarni has also studied in Spain, Morocco and Nicaragua.
Savarni was named a Rhodes Scholar in 2020. She is the 14th Wake Forest student to be named a Rhodes Scholar since 1986.
Because of her Wake Forest experience, Savarni has been able to learn and be curious. She has found a community that has encouraged her to pursue excellence in and out of the classroom, to embrace the spirit of Pro Humanitate, and to strive to be part of something larger than herself.
Mit Shah (’91)
Mit Shah grew up in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In pursuit of the American Dream, his parents came to the United States as college students from rural India. Emboldened by their journey, Mit pursued his own aspirations by enrolling at Wake Forest in 1987.
In those years at Wake Forest, not many looked like him, prayed like him or came from where he came from. And yet, the discomfort of difference was met by the positive intent and firm embrace of an institution, educators and coaches who regularly reinforced four words: We believe in you. As a student, he was a member of the men’s tennis team and worked at Graylyn Conference Center. It was there that he developed his passion for the hospitality industry, and his entrepreneurial dream took root.
Today, Mit is the founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, an Atlanta-based real estate investment firm. He is also part owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta Magazine has named him one of the city’s most prominent and insightful leaders.
Additionally, Mit serves as non-executive chair of the board for CorePoint Lodging and on advisory boards for Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corporation. He is also a member of the Industry Real Estate and Finance Advisory Council of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Mit became a Wake Forest Trustee in 2005, the first year of Nathan Hatch’s presidency.
Ben C. Sutton Jr.
(’80, JD ’83, P ’14, P ’16, P ’19)
Wake Forest University has been a launching pad for many in the Sutton family, including Ben C. Sutton Jr. His parents studied on the Old Campus in Wake County, and his children are the latest generation to call themselves Demon Deacons. Ben Sutton enrolled at the University because of the generosity of the Hankins family and their scholarship.
At Wake Forest, Ben cultivated his love for politics and sports. Working with the athletics department, even when he was a law student, he learned skills and practices that launched his professional career in the sports industry.
A successful entrepreneur, Ben is founder and chairman of Teall Capital Partners, a private equity firm with investments in innovative, high-growth brands and services. Widely credited for inventing the college sports media business as it is known today, Ben sold his first company, ISP Sports, to IMG College in 2010.
In addition to serving as a Wake Forest Trustee, Ben serves on the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, the White House Historical Association, the National Football Foundation, the PGA Tour First Tee Foundation, and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Foundation.