Alex Brandwein ’20 (MBA) is originally from New York and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011. After college, Alex spent eight years in investment banking and private equity in Chicago and then New York. In 2018, Alex chose to come to UNC for its MBA program to explore his entrepreneurial passions, to cultivate his leadership skills and to develop the tools necessary to start a business. Alex immediately fell in love with the community and recognized an opportunity to share his love of New York-Style bagels by opening up a shop in downtown Chapel Hill. Alex could not have opened the shop without the support of UNC and the broader Chapel Hill/Carrboro community. Outside of work, Alex enjoys everything ice hockey, reading biographies and listening to all types of podcasts.

David Gorelick ’17 (degorelick@unc.edu) is a postdoctoral research associate in the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems at UNC. David leads research on providing affordable and reliable water supply service in multiple U.S. states. He earned his PhD from UNC in environmental sciences and engineering in 2021 and also holds MS and BS degrees from UNC. As a graduate student, David also co-founded the N.C. Students for Science Policy Coalition and served as co-president of the UNC Science Policy Advocacy Group, helping to engage N.C. students with federal science policy and advocacy.