Operational Excellence Team

Rick Wernoski is recognized as a leader in driving transformation and a catalyst for change, promoting collaboration among leaders, faculty, and staff, while shaping the academic environment, encouraging a culture of innovation, and ensuring sustainable growth. As Associate Vice Chancellor, Wernoski leads the UNC Chapel Operational Excellence team, focused on planning and executing executive level projects, transforming university-wide administrative operations, and developing continuous improvement competencies campus-wide. During his current role, he also served as Interim Executive Vice Dean of Operations at the Adams School of Dentistry from 2021 to 2022 and again in 2023.

Prior to his role in the Office of the Chancellor, Wernoski was Executive Vice Dean and Chief Operating Officer at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, where he managed all operational and financial activities of the school.  Additionally, he was the Chief Financial Officer of the Eshelman Institute for Innovation. Wernoski joined the school in 2010 as the Executive Associate Dean for Administration and Chief Financial Officer. He also served as Interim Associate Dean of Advancement from 2013 to 2014.

Before joining Carolina, Wernoski worked for fifteen years at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He began as a budget analyst in the Department of Pharmacology and moved up to the position of Business Manager in the Department of Molecular Genetics, Microbiology, and Immunology. After 10 years in that capacity, he was named the medical school’s Executive Director for Administration and Operations, a position he held for four years before joining Carolina.

Wernoski earned a bachelor’s degree in financial management from Clemson University and a Master of Public Administration from Kean University.  Currently, he is serving as the President-Elect for the Network for Change and Continuous Innovation and previously took part in NACUBO’s 2019-20 Fellows Program. Contact: wernoski@email.unc.edu

Georgia McRae joined the Operational Excellence team in 2022 and has worked on numerous pan-university projects including Fixed-Term Faculty Appointment Letters, Innovate Carolina Junction, and Space Governance. She also leads the OE Lean Foundations, From Problem to Project, and Prosci Change Management trainings. Georgia enjoys solving ambiguous problems by leveraging cross-functional collaboration to plan, execute, and scale solutions.

Prior to joining the Operational Excellence team, Georgia was the National Operations Manager for one of the largest Orangetheory franchisee groups in the country. Georgia managed new development and oversaw the facilities, IT, and call center departments. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a Math & Technology concentration from UNC-Wilmington. Georgia is a certified change practitioner and trainer through Prosci. She has also completed the IDEO Foundations in Design Thinking Certificate. Contact: gmcrae@unc.edu

Madeline Snider has over ten years of experience in higher education working with faculty, staff, and students alike.

Prior to joining the Operational Excellence team, Madeline held positions in UNC’s School of Medicine and Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where she focused on improving policies and processes to better serve the university’s varied constituents. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts in French Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. Madeline is a certified change practitioner through Prosci. Contact: sniderma@unc.edu

Chelsea Cochrane is a proactive problem solver deeply committed to advancing higher education and fostering continuous improvement. Before joining the Operational Excellence team, she excelled as a Special Projects Manager at UNC Advising. There, she honed her skills in solution design and data analysis to tackle intricate challenges, offering actionable recommendations and driving solution implementation. Chelsea’s dedication is rooted in her aspiration to champion equity and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities.

Carson Flynn joined the Operational Excellence team in April 2024. Carson’s previous roles involved a wide breadth of event management, program development, and training delivery projects. Carson enjoys collaborative, diverse project teams where he is able to employ an educator’s mindset to build systems that support our students, staff, and faculty.

Carson earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Minnesota and his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Texas Christian University. Carson holds a Project Management Professional certification through the Project Management Institute. Carson is a certified change practitioner through Prosci. Contact: cuflynn@unc.edu

Kelly Reilly joined OE in November of 2024. Her experience with the principles of action research and continuous improvement started in her 2nd grade classroom when she participated in the pilot program for the Master of Education for Experienced Teachers at UNC Chapel Hill. Her career in public education spanned 13 years as a classroom instructor and literacy specialist, during which time she earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Kelly also spent six years working with Dr. Gerald Bell from Bell Leadership Institute in Chapel Hill, and six years working at the UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement (IHQI). At IHQI, she served as a project coach for clinicians involved in a variety of initiatives that improved processes and patient care. In addition to her Master of Education degree, Kelly earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Wake Forest University, and in 2023, her Interprofessional Graduate Certificate in Improvement Science and Implementation from UNC Chapel Hill. Kelly is also an adjunct instructor for the UNC School of Education, teaching the spring course, “System Improvement and Implementation at Scale.” Kelly’s passion for improvement stems from successfully working with teams to achieve positive outcomes. Contact: kelly.reilly@unc.edu

Benjamin Klein joined the Operational Excellence Team in Spring 2023 as the Operational Excellence student assistant. Benjamin is a Morehead Cain Scholar ’25 from Durham, NC, and comes to OE with an interest in transformation and change management and already embraces the mindset of continuous improvement. Contact: benklein@email.unc.edu

Candace Reynolds has over 20 years of experience in higher education, serving in a variety of IT and project and portfolio management roles prior to joining the Operational Excellence team when it was formed in 2019. Candace enjoys working with partners across campus to solve problems. As the Associate Director for Operational Excellence, she addresses University-wide challenges by leading diverse teams through the process of solution design and implementation. 

Prior to joining the Operational Excellence team, Candace held positions at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and Information Technology Services. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration from North Carolina State University. Candace holds Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Project Management Professional, Prosci Change Management, and Ideo Design Thinking certifications. Contact: creynolds@unc.edu

Nicholas Sengstaken joined OE in 2020 and has worked on numerous pan-university projects including the Carolina Together Ambassador Program, university COVID-19 response, Carolina Community Academy implementation, Promote Democracy Initiative, and university classroom operations. He enjoys collaborating with partners across campus to advance Carolina’s mission through continuous improvement and data-driven problem-solving. 

Nick’s passion for identifying, documenting, and deconstructing the social and economic barriers to positive secondary and post-secondary educational achievement has guided his work. Prior to his time at Carolina, he served as a key national spokesperson in opposition to the failed merger between Cengage and McGraw-Hill, sharing student sentiments with the Department of Justice Antitrust team as well as media sources including the New York Times, VICE, MarketWatch, Inside Higher Ed, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and many others. Nick earned a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UNC Chapel Hill and is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis at North Carolina State University. Nick is a certified change practitioner and trainer through Prosci and IDEO Design Thinking. Contact: nick.sengstaken@unc.edu

David Hare has over a decade of experience in higher education and private-sector consulting. He joined the Operational Excellence team after serving as an Assistant Director of Career Services and Employer Relations for UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Undergraduate Business Program. In this role, he designed and implemented programs to help undergraduate business students develop their skills and careers. He also established and maintained relationships with many prominent employers, such as Bank of America, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs and P&G.

Before working at UNC, David was a sales executive at Gartner, where he provided best-practice advisory services to senior leaders in sales and communications at numerous Fortune 500 companies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Geography and a Master of Business Administration, both from UNC-Chapel Hill. David is a certified change practitioner through Prosci. Contact: dhare@email.unc.edu

Evan Widney is an experienced professional in the higher education space with a rich background in outcomes assessment, program evaluation, accreditation, and policy compliance. He enjoys collaborating with campus colleagues to address complex institutional questions that improve the experience of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Prior to joining the Operational Excellence team, Evan served as the Manager for Accreditation in Duke University’s Office of the Provost. While there he played a crucial role in ensuring institutional excellence, continuous improvement, and policy compliance across Duke University and its off campus instructional sites.

Evan earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership as well as his B.A. in Economics, Philosophy, and Leadership Studies from West Virginia University. Evan is completing his Doctor of Education degree at UNC-Wilmington, where his dissertation research focuses on technology adoption among higher education faculty. Evan is a certified change practitioner through Prosci. Contact: ewidney@unc.edu

Vernadette Delos Santos focuses her efforts on supporting the Operational Excellence team while advancing Carolina’s mission through a continuous improvement mindset. Prior to joining the Operational Excellence team, Vernadette worked as the Listing Manager for Keller Williams United. She has over 5 years of experience in real estate operations with a focus on title and transaction management. Vernadette’s continuous improvement mindset has lent a hand in developing and implementing process improvements in her prior roles. She is a team player who strives to anticipate the team’s needs. Vernadette takes on an empathic approach when problem-solving and her diverse work experience allows her to adapt to new environments quickly.

Vernadette earned her bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies with a concentration in Criminal Justice from Gannon University. Currently, she is pursuing an M.S. in Nutrition Public Health from Appalachian State University. Contact: vdsantos@unc.edu

Lilly Chase is a Senior from Winston-Salem, NC, double majoring in Human and Organizational Leadership Development (HOLD) and Media and Journalism with an Advertising and Public Relations concentration. She joined the OE team in January 2025 as a Student Assistant while completing her Capstone course for the HOLD major. Lilly is passionate about driving meaningful change through strategic communication and promoting continuous improvement. Contact: lchase@unc.edu