Board of Directors

John O'Connor, Phi 2011
President

John O’Connor is Scholarly Communications Librarian at Boston College. He received his MS, Information Science from UNC’s School of Information and Library Science and MPA from UNC’s Knapp-Sanders School of Government in 2015.

Jeff Smith, Phi 2008
Vice President

Jeff Smith is a Surf City, NC native who currently serves as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of New York. He is a graduate of UNC (B.A.), King’s College London (M.A.), and New York University School of Law (J.D.).

Charlotte Stewart, Di 2003
Secretary

Charlotte R. Stewart, J.D. is a Triple Tar Heel, with degrees from UNC in Linguistics and Philosophy (B.A., 2003), Education (M.A., 2008) and Law (J.D., 2014). She is currently a Policy & Research Analyst at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency.

Roger Kirkman, Di 1973
Treasurer

Roger N. Kirkman graduated from the University of North Carolina. He was an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow at London Business School. Roger is the co-founder of the DiPhi Foundation and directly responsible (with the help of George Blackburn) for the recovery of the portrait collection.

Jack Watson, Phi 2020
Ex-Officio, Joint Senate President

Jack Watson is a senior at UNC Chapel Hill, majoring in Geography and Public Policy.

KC Kurz, Di 2021
Ex-Officio, Dialectic Society President

KC Kurz is a junior double majoring in Economics & Public Relations.

Cordelia Gilligan, Phi 2022
Ex-Officio, Philanthropic Society President

Cordelia Gilligan is a Sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill double majoring in Political Science and History.

Keith Kapp, Di 1976
Legal Counsel

Keith Kapp earned A.B. and J.D. degrees, both with honors, from the University of North Carolina. He graduated as a Morehead Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Keith served as president of the N.C. State Bar for the 2012-2013 term, and is formerly the vice chairman of Williams Mullen’s board of directors.

Brian Brigman, Di 1989

Brian Brigman, MD PhD is Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center, where he is the chief of the section of Orthopaedic Oncology and is the program director for the Duke Orthopaedic Residency Program.

Kevin Cherry, Di 1989

Dr. Kevin Cherry is the deputy secretary of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and director of the Office of Archives and History. He is also the Secretary of the North Carolina Historical Commission and the State Historic Preservation Officer.

Wayne Goodwin, Di 1989

Wayne Goodwin, a Morehead Scholar, graduated from UNC undergrad (B.A., Political Science with Honors), and UNC School of Law (J.D.). Wayne is a former four-term member of the NC House of Representatives and NC Insurance Commissioner. Currently, Wayne is the Chairman of the NC Democratic Party.

John Greenbacker, Phi 1967

AB degree from UNC-CH,’67; JD degree from William and Mary, ’73. Engaged in general practice of the law in Halifax, VA. Served for 16 years as the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Halifax County, VA. Founding member of the Di-Phi Foundation Board. Speaker Ban suit plaintiff.

Edward 'Tex' Harrelson, Phi 1990

Edward Harrelson is a native of Garner, North Carolina.  His BA degree in History is from UNC-CH (1990) and his JD is from the University of North Carolina School of Law (1993). He served as an active Senator of the Philanthropic Society from 1989-1993. Edward has practiced law in Hendersonville, NC, since 1993.

Michael Johnston, Phi 2017

Michael Johnston graduated from UNC in 2017 with a B.A. in Philosophy. He is currently a student at Wake Forest University’s School of Law.

William 'Bill' McNairy, Di 1983

Bill McNairy graduated from UNC in 1983 and earned his PhD in Physics from the University of Virginia in 1992. Teacher of physics for the past 25+ years, married with two grown daughters, active in Special Olympics and the Arc of the Triangle.

Michael Kolb, Di 1990

Michael Kolb is the former President of the DiPhi Foundation. He graduated from UNC undergrad and runs his own law firm in Charlotte.

John Sanders, Di 1951

To provide a 2 sentence biography of John Sanders is to sell his accomplishments extremely short. He has been a trusted adviser to N.C. Governors and University Presidents for over 50 years. The Knapp-Sanders School of Government at UNC bears his name.

L. Scott Tillett, Phi 1993

Scott Tillett serves as a strategic writer in the Raleigh office of Ketchum, a global communications consultancy, where he advises clients on marketing communications strategy. He earned a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina.

Patrick Wooten, Phi 1993

Patrick Wooten is the former Vice President of the DiPhi Society. He currently works in the N.C. Department of Justice.