UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety Chief Jeff Baker and Belk College of Business Lecturer Brian Whelan are the recipients of the Student Government Association’s 2019-20 Staff Member and Faculty Member of the Year Awards, respectively.
“I am honored to receive such an incredible award from the SGA, and this clearly is one of the most significant and important awards of my tenure,” said Baker, who was also quick to point out he shares the award with his fellow police officers.
For almost a decade, Baker has led the UNC Charlotte Police and Public Safety (PPS) Department, a force that includes dispatchers, rangers and more than 50 sworn police officers. In that time, he has fostered success among officers by instituting rigorous leadership and development plans. Additionally, PPS has been awarded accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA), and the department has developed a formalized focus on community policing. Read more about Baker’s award on the Business Affairs website.
Whelan joined the Belk College of Business in 2019 after more than 20 years in the financial services industry; he held senior roles in marketing, corporate communications and product management at Morgan Stanley, BlackRock, Mergent and Bank of America. Prior to UNC Charlotte, Whelan was managing director and global head of corporate communications for Barings, a leading multinational investment management firm with offices across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Student nominators noted Whelan “genuinely cares about his students and wants them to succeed. He is a doctorate student so he understands what it is like.”
Another wrote, "He is always positive and encouraging. He is by far the best professor I have had in my four years at UNC Charlotte.”
Whelan stated, "Thank you to the many students I’ve had the privilege to work with over the past year at the Belk College. Although we are physically separated right now, I want you to know that I feel truly blessed to be a part of your journey at UNC Charlotte. You are the reason I am proud to be a Niner."