Q&A with Robert Koch


DAVIDSON ALUMNUS IS NEW SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND GIVING


EES Ericka Ellis-Stewart RK Robert Koch


ERICKA ELLIS- STEWART ’96


EES What brought you to Queens?


RK My first interaction with Queens was as a student at Davidson in the early 2000s, but I started paying closer attention to the university after hearing President Lugo speak in 2019. My former employer, WFAE 90.7 FM, sponsored my participation in Leadership Charlotte Class 42 and it was during that yearlong program that I felt a strong calling back to higher education. I have spent most of my career on college and university campuses, so I was excited about the opportunity to work with a diverse alumni population at Queens.


EES What initiatives will you be working on with the Queens Alumni Association Board?


RK I was glad that one of our committees initiated bringing back


regional alumni chapters, starting with Atlanta, Charlotte, Greensboro and Washington, D.C. I hope we will also hear from alumni across the country who would like to help with local programming, as there are plenty of other cities—particularly across the southeast—where we have a critical mass of alumni. The board will also be intentional with supporting Admissions and the Vandiver Center for Career Development, along with expanding our strategies with fundraising for the Queens Fund.


EES How else do you plan to engage with Queens alumni?


RK I look forward to traveling in the future as we reestablish alumni chapters, but our door is always open in the 101 suite of Queens Hall. We have cold drinks in the fridge and a Keurig ready


to brew a cup of coffee, so don’t hesitate to stop by campus. I am also glad that I get to work with alumni on several other boards and councils across the university and I look forward to meeting more alumni at athletic events, arts programs, Learning Society speakers and in Belk Chapel.


EES Tell us about your life at home.


RK My wife Heather is an OB-GYN, and we are the proud parents of three wonderful girls: Hazel, Sylvie, and Ruth, plus two rescue dogs. We love running along the greenways around town and escaping to the mountains kept us sane amidst the pandemic. I also put my Traeger smoker to full use this past year. Most of the time at home I am reading, playing or dancing around with our girls. Their favorite thing to do on campus is to roar at Rex the lion in front of the Levine Center!


EES What else would you like the Queens community to know?


RK My mother and grandmother were kindergarten teachers, so education is of utmost importance in my family. My master’s in higher education administration is from Drexel and I have already spotted some coursework available here at Queens that is of interest. It is rewarding to work with such committed colleagues and we look forward to helping steward Queens’ legacy.


Ericka Ellis-Stewart ’96 is the 2021-2022 Queens University of Charlotte Alumni Association Board President and director of corporate social responsibility for Atrium Health.


EXCEPTIONAL LEADER AWARDED FOR REMARKABLE SERVICE


More than 275 people gathered in Young Dining Hall on the Queens University campus to honor Tanya S. Blackmon MBA ’00 as she became the 2021 Charlotte BusinessWoman of the Year. “Tanya, nobody has worked harder


than you for equity and inclusion in this community. I’m constantly inspired by everything that you do,” Charlotte Mayor and Queens alum Vi Lyles said in her keynote speech.


Blackmon led a system-wide culture


change strategy to embed diversity, inclusion and equity across the Novant Health system of 35,000 team members. Under her leadership, Novant Health earned


multiple national recognitions. “Tanya is a true servant leader,” said


Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio, the 2020 Charlotte BusinessWoman of the Year. “Her mission and ministry are the same; to add value to the lives of the people she touches.” “When I first stepped onto the


Queens University campus more than 20 years ago to get my MBA, it was really pivotal to my career,” she said. “I remember balancing, just as many women do, being a mother, being the daughter of a terminally ill mother, having a full-time job and going to school full time. It wasn’t easy, but the professors at Queens kept


me motivated. So, it is wonderful to be here at Queens today.” For 36 years, the


Queens University of Charlotte BusinessWoman of the Year award has celebrated the achievements of exceptional women professionals who exhibit leadership as defined by the values of Queens McColl School of Business—competence, character and commitment to community.


—Keith Pierce Summer 9 ROBERT KOCH


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