Meet the University marshals for spring commencement 2026
University marshals are distinguished faculty members selected to represent their colleagues at ceremonial functions, including commencement. They symbolize faculty excellence in teaching, scholarship and service to campus and community. This year’s honorees — Chance Lewis, Nadia Najjar, Susana Cisneros, Luke Reinke and Gene Lai — embody the values of leadership, mentorship and academic distinction.
Ever wonder what happens to the University mace after commencement? Two Charlotte employees used their woodworking skills to craft a display case worthy of holding this symbol of Charlotte history.
Chance Lewis
Chance Lewis, Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor of Urban Education and director of the Urban Education Collaborative, will serve as University marshal for the doctoral hooding ceremony at 11 a.m., Thursday, May 7.
Lewis is the executive director of UNC Charlotte’s Urban Education Collaborative and currently teaches graduate courses in the field of urban education. His special areas of interests are academic achievement of students of color in K-12 settings, recruitment and retention of Black male teachers.
An award-winning educator, Lewis earned the Harshini de Silva Graduate Mentor Award at UNC Charlotte in 2015 for outstanding graduate student mentoring.
Nadia Najjar
Nadia Najjar, associate teaching professor in the Department of Software and Information Systems, will serve as the University marshal for the commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., Friday, May 8.
Najjar earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from George Mason University before coming to UNC Charlotte, where she completed both her master’s and Ph.D. in computing and informatics. Throughout graduate school, she focused on personalization and recommender systems, exploring how technology can better understand and support individual users.
Her work spans recommendation and decision‑support systems, artificial intelligence and human‑computer interaction. Most recently, she’s been focused on personalized adaptive learning — finding smarter ways to tailor educational experiences to each learner.
Susana Cisneros
Susana Cisneros, senior lecturer of Spanish, will serve as the University marshal for the commencement ceremony at 3 p.m., Friday, May 8.
Cisneros teaches a range of Spanish courses and advises students through Club de Español Para Amigos and by leading the weekly Tertulia/Virtulia conversation hour. She was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi in 2021, one of the nation’s most selective honor societies.
Cisneros has built several hands‑on learning opportunities, including a spring break program in Argentina, an internship serving the local Latinx community and a year‑long seminar with the Charlotte Teachers Institute.
Her teaching has been recognized across campus and beyond. Since 2015, she has been a finalist for multiple University and college teaching awards, including the UNC Charlotte Award for Teaching Excellence in 2025.
Luke Reinke
Luke Reinke, associate professor in the Department of Reading and Elementary Education, will serve as the University marshal for the commencement ceremony at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 9.
Reinke teaches math methods courses for future elementary teachers. His research centers on math curriculum — especially how real‑world, contextualized problems help students build deeper understanding. He also studies how teachers use curriculum materials in their day‑to‑day classroom practice.
Gene Lai
Gene Lai, James J. Harris Chair and scholar of risk management and insurance, will serve as the University marshal for the Graduate School commencement at the at 3 p.m., Saturday, May 9.
His research has been widely published, including multiple articles in The Journal of Risk and Insurance and the Journal of Banking and Finance. He’s also received the Teaching Excellence Award from Beta Gamma Sigma as well as the student‑voted award.
He has also led major professional organizations, serving as president of both the American Risk and Insurance Association and the Asia‑Pacific Risk and Insurance Association.