Three local leaders to join UNC Charlotte’s Board of Trustees, three board members reappointed

Bank of America’s Christine Katziff and alumnus David Mildenberg were appointed to the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees by the UNC Board of Governors, and Carlos E. Sanchez of AT&T North Carolina was named to the board by the N.C. General Assembly. Their four-year terms begin July 1.

Current trustees Sharon Decker and Susan DeVore were reappointed to second four-year terms by the UNC BOG, and the legislature also reappointed Fred Klein.

“UNC Charlotte has long enjoyed a very strong Board of Trustees, including industry leaders committed to leading our University,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “This class of trustees continues this tradition, and we welcome Christine, Dave and Carlos, and are pleased that Susan, Sharon and Fred will continue their service.”

Katziff, who serves on the board of advisors of UNC Charlotte’s Belk College of Business, is chief audit executive for Bank of America and is a member of the company’s executive management team. Since 2010, Katziff has led this global division that provides independent assessments of the company’s business strategies, operations, risk framework, financial management and credit standards in support of the bank’s focus on responsible growth. Also, she is executive vice chair of Bank of America’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and a strong supporter of developing women leaders in financial services, serving as the executive sponsor for Bank of America’s Investing in Women Leadership Council, which comprises executives from across the company who serve as advisors and champions of Bank of America’s efforts to support the advancement of women. Additionally, she is on the finance committee of the Central Piedmont Community College Foundation. Katziff also is focused on health and wellness, serving as a member of the board of directors for Novant Health and is chair of the Go Red campaign for the American Heart Association. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Bryant University and an MBA from the University of Hartford.

A 1992 graduate of UNC Charlotte’s MBA program, Mildenberg is editor of Business North Carolina magazine, a position he has held since 2014. He previously worked in Atlanta, Austin, Greensboro and Raleigh for various media organizations, including Bloomberg News and American City Business Journals. In the mid-1980s, Mildenberg taught introductory journalism courses at UNC Charlotte as a part-time instructor, and he has continued to supervise undergraduate students engaged in internships. He completed a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.

Sanchez is vice president of state government and external affairs for AT&T North Carolina. In this role, he manages the legislative and external affairs team statewide and is responsible for the legislative efforts and execution of business initiatives for the company in North Carolina. A 17-year veteran with AT&T, Sanchez was state director of external affairs and responsible for the Charlotte region before joining legislative affairs. A native of Bogota, Colombia, Sanchez completed a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Florida International University and an MBA from the McColl School of Business at Queens University. He is founder and past chair of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce and a member of the board of directors of Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont and the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. In 2017, he co-chaired the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ record $922 million construction bonds campaign that received a voter approval of 73 percent.

Decker is chief operating officer of Tryon Equestrian Partners, Carolinas Operations, in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. The center hosts international equestrian competitions across numerous classes. In 2013, Decker was appointed Secretary of Commerce by North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory. She led the creation of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, a public-private entity charged with marketing North Carolina on the global stage. Prior positions included founding president of the Lynnwood Foundation and chief communications officer for Duke Power Company (now Duke Energy). She was first appointed to the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees in 2015. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UNC Greensboro.

DeVore ’81 is president and CEO of Premier Inc., one of the nation’s leading health care improvement companies. A graduate of the University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, she has served on the UNC Charlotte Board of Trustees since 2015 and was elected secretary in July 2018. In 2015, she received the Charlotte Business Woman of the Year award; in 2016, she received the UNC Charlotte Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award. Considered an industry-leading thinker, DeVore was named to Modern Healthcare’s Top 100 Most Influential People and Top 25 Women in Health Care lists. She serves as chair of the board of trustees of the Healthcare Leadership Council; board member of the Coalition to Protect America’s Healthcare; and board member, finance committee member and audit committee chair of the Medicare Rights Center.

Klein is senior managing partner at Childress Klein, one of the largest full‑service commercial real estate firms in the Southeastern United States. Prior to forming Childress Klein in 1988, he was a partner and then regional partner with Trammell Crow Company. A graduate of Lehigh University with a bachelor’s degree in engineering, Klein completed an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. A former member of the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board, Klein now serves on the University’s $200 million EXPONENTIAL Campaign Executive Committee, and he co-chaired the $4.4 million campaign for the Childress Klein Center for Real Estate in the Belk College of Business.