College Access and Success Manager | esantiagolopez@northcarolina.edu As College Access and Success Manager, Estefane oversees GEAR UP NC’s partnership with three community colleges and five 4-year public institutions, develops statewide and post-secondary initiatives, oversees GEAR UP NC’s digital presence, and supports … Read more

Lead Researcher | mstojnic@northcarolina.edu  Miodrag is the Lead Researcher for GEAR UP NC. His main tasks include survey development, data management, and data analysis with the purpose of evaluating the impact of GEAR UP NC’s efforts on students’ educational outcomes. … Read more

Director | pbharris@northcarolina.edu Patti B. Harris is the Director of GEAR UP North Carolina where she develops and oversees statewide programming and college access initiatives, building and sustaining relationships with national and local community partners to leverage support for GEAR … Read more

Principal Investigator | srobertson@northcarolina.edu Dr. Shun Robertson serves as a state policy expert for the Strategy and Policy Division of the UNC System, researching key higher education issues to advance the System’s strategic goals. Prior to joining the UNC System, Robertson was … Read more

Michelle Blount is the GEAR UP Success Coach at East Carolina University in Greenville. Prior to joining the GEAR UP team, she served as an Education Director with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Coastal Plain. She has also been … Read more