Senior Scholars at Queens

Artificial Intelligence for Defense and National Security with Tate Nurkin
2024-01-26 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: Artificial Intelligence for Defense and National Security
SPEAKER: Tate Nurkin, OTH Intelligence Group, Atlantic Council, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments
AI and other emerging technologies are shaping the future of conflict–both kinetic and non-kinetic–and military capabilities. As a result, most modern militaries are prioritizing the development, adoption, and integration of AI-enabled capabilities and concepts of operations. The US Department of Defense alone has nearly 700 on-going AI-related development and acquisition programs encompassing a wide range of capabilities and activities–from fielding autonomous systems to speeding up decision-making to improving logistics, sustainment, training to cyber security and information operations to creating new efficiencies and the design and manufacture of military equipment.
This presentation will:
1) provide insight into the reasons why militaries around the world, including the United States, are prioritizing AI development and adoption
2) discuss the range of applications of AI for military and security community organizations
3) profile key AI-related initiatives the US and other countries are pursuing
4) Highlight challenges associated with the adoption and integration of AI enabled capabilities

BIOGRAPHY
Tate Nurkin is an independent analyst and consultant on defense and security issues and the founder of OTH Intelligence Group. He has over 25 years of experience working with the US and allied and partner defense and national security communities examining Indo-Pacific security, China’s military modernization, and how emerging technologies are shaping the future of conflict and military capabilities.
Tate is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow with both the Forward Defense program and Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council and also with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
Prior to starting OTH in March 2018, Tate spent 12 years at Janes, a leading defense intelligence firm, including four as the Executive Director of Strategic Assessments and Futures Studies. He also previously worked with the Modelling, Simulation, Wargaming, and Analysis Team at Booz Allen Hamilton, the Strategic Assessment Center of SAIC, and Joint Management Services.
From 2014 – 2018, Tate spent consecutive two year terms with the World Economic Forum’s Nuclear Security Global Agenda Council and Future Council on International Security.
Tate holds a bachelors of arts in History and Political Science from Duke University and a Masters of Science in International Affairs from the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.
He lives in Matthews, NC.

Battlefield Applications
Five Revolutions
Eye to Eye in AI
A Candle in the Dark

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with Dmitry Vovchuk
2024-01-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
GREAT DECISIONS TOPIC: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
SPEAKER: Dmitry Vovchuk, Nonresident Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative
This presentation will provide an overview of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as we approach the Alliance’s 75th Anniversary. The discussion will cover NATO’s mission, capabilities, relevance, enlargement, and future.

BIOGRAPHY
Mr. Dmitry Vovchuk joined The Cohen Group after serving in numerous key roles at the US Departments of State and Defense, National Security Council, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). He also held several leadership positions in financial services and management consulting.
Mr. Vovchuk was selected to the Civil Service as a Presidential Management Fellow in 2006. He led the interagency process to invite new members into NATO at its Summit in Bucharest, Romania, supported the development of NATO’s renewed Strategic Concept, and managed US policy priorities for the Alliance’s International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. Mr. Vovchuk also served as a Political Officer at the US Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the 2008 conflict between Russia and Georgia.
Subsequently, Mr. Vovchuk coordinated the work of the White House Task Force responsible for the 2012 NATO Summit hosted by President Obama in Chicago and served as the National Security Council Director for Eastern Europe, managing the development and execution of US policy for a region stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Mr. Vovchuk later served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the Secretary General of NATO. In that role, he managed the transition of NATO’s combat operations in Afghanistan to its Resolute Support Mission and helped achieve key milestones in NATO’s ballistic missile defense program. Mr. Vovchuk also led the process to conduct a full review of the US integrated campaign plan as the Director for Strategic Planning in the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy to Counter ISIS.
Outside of government, Mr. Vovchuk advised global consumer goods and health care companies on organizational change and strategic alignment as a Principal with the McChrystal Group. He was a registered financial representative and served as Chief of Staff at Ally Bank, supporting the Executive Director for its auto, deposits, online brokerage, and wealth management customer care and experience division.
Mr. Vovchuk is the recipient of the State Department’s Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards, completed a five-year term membership with the Council on Foreign Relations, and teaches foreign policy as an Adjunct Professor in the Political Science Department at Queens University of Charlotte.
He received a Master’s of Arts in US National Security Policy at Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Arts from Drew University.

New Member Orientation - Friday January 19
2024-01-19 09:00 - 09:45 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
All members old and new are invited to attend in person or via Zoom, our New Member Orientation meeting.
Learn more about the organization including how to meet people, join events and how you can help the organization – the best way to meet new people!
In person meeting is in Room 106 in PUMC.

The Rural-Urban Divide and the 2024 Election with Chelsea Kaufman
2024-01-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: The Rural-Urban Divide and the 2024 Election
SPEAKER: Chelsea Kaufman, Assistant Professor, Wingate University
Chelsea provide an overview of how political attitudes and voting behaviors have varied across rural and urban areas over the last several election cycles and discuss what this might mean for 2024, especially in “swing states” like NC.

BIOGRAPHY
Chelsea Kaufman is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Wingate University, where she has worked since 2018. She teaches courses such as American Government; US Campaigns and Elections; The US Presidency; Public Opinion; and Voting Rights Past and Present.
One of her passions is encouraging civic engagement, especially among her students, and she is a Steering Committee member for the Faculty Network for Student Voting Rights (https://facultyforvotingrights.org/).
Her research focuses primarily on the rural-urban divide in the United States and has been published in The Journal of Rural Studies and Rural Society.
Originally from Pennsylvania, she completed her undergraduate degree in her hometown at Pennsylvania Western University – Clarion and then went on to complete her Ph.D. at Purdue University in 2017. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and their pets (2 cats and 2 dogs).

Curriculum Meeting - January 10
2024-01-10 13:15 - 14:00 | Zoom Registration Required
Curriculum Meetings are open to Membership.
Join our Curriculum meetings to hear about upcoming speakers/events or to suggest speakers you know (or have heard speak) and believe would be of interest to your fellow Senior Scholars.

Holiday Luncheon - December 19
2023-12-19 11:30 - 13:00 | Carmel Country Club, 4735 Carmel Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28226, United States
HOLIDAY LUNCHEON
Date: December 19, 2023
Time: 12 noon (doors open at 11:30 am)
Place: Carmel Country Club
Cost: $45/person. Payable at Friday meetings or mail a check payable to Senior Scholars.
Address: Senior Scholars at Queens; ATTN: Eileen Griggs; 1900 Selwyn Avenue MSC 1409; Charlotte, NC 28274.

The Complicated, Immersive Worlds of Whitfield Lovell with Dr. Jen Edwards, Chief Curator, Mint Museum
2023-11-17 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: The Complicated, Immersive Worlds of Whitfield Lovell
SPEAKER: Dr. Jen Edwards, Mint Museum of Art Chief curator and curator of contemporary art

New York-based artists Whitfield Lovell creates meticulous portrait drawings and immersive installations that envelope the viewer’s every sensory response. Fresh soil, a tumbler of bourbon, cicadas humming, a gospel chorus swelling in a spiritual, the pulsating rhythm of a river’s current and sunlight sparking light off the ripples, gently shaded charcoal drawings of Black Americans whose likenesses Lovell finds in his personal collection of 3,000 government identification photographs from 1850 to 1950 that—these are some of the details that Lovell includes in his work. The resulting effect encompasses both highly personal and expansively universal, the historic and the immediate. Lovell’s work encourages us to imagine the lives and worlds of his portrait sitters while also reminding us of the complicated narrative of the United States. Through the story of African Americans from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement, Lovell invites us to investigate human struggle, resilience, and fortitude.
The Mint Museum will present an major exhibition on Whitfield Lovell from June 29, 2024 to September 22, 2024 at the Uptown location.

BIOGRAPHY
Jennifer Sudul Edwards, Ph.D. received her doctorate from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, in 2014. Since July 2019 she has been the chief curator and curator of contemporary art at The Mint Museum.
She has held curatorial positions at the Norton Simon Museum, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, and the Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles.
Dr. Sudul Edwards has won numerous awards for her publications, exhibitions, and curatorial work, including an SEMC Publications Award for her Wrestling the Angel compendium and Charlotte Magazine’s “Best Curator” for 2017 and Charlottean of the Year in 2019.
She is a cofounder and co-organizer of Sphere Series and founding Board Chair at Goodyear Arts, where she continues to serve on the Board.

Lunch Bunch - November 10
2023-11-10 11:45 - 14:00 | NC
SOLD OUT!
You may join a wait list.
Join your fellow members for some lunch social time at Phillips Bistro at Phillips Place.
Space is limited. Sign up at a Friday meeting or RSVP with link above. Parking and entrance is behind the restaurant.
Phillip’s Bistro
6809-A Phillips Place Court
Charlotte, NC 28210

Responsible Citizens—The Lifeblood of America with Major General David Richwine (Ret.)
2023-11-10 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: Responsible Citizens—The Lifeblood of America
SPEAKER: Major General, United States Marine Corps (Ret.)
In his world renowned speech to the French at the Sorbonne on April 23, 1910, T. Roosevelt opined: A democratic republic such as ours—an effort to realize in its full sense government by, of, and for the people—represents the most gigantic of all possible social experiments, the one fraught with great responsibilities alike for good and evil. This presentation is intended to offer thoughts on the Idea of America—its nature and current condition. . . strengths, weaknesses and challenges; responsibilities of citizens; roles of veterans; and suggestions on ways to keep the gift we have been given, leaving it to our children in as good or better condition than we received it.

BIOGRAPHY
Dave Richwine graduated the University of Kansas (KU) in June 1965, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In his 32+ years on active duty, he held 25 widely varied primary duty assignments, serving in or visiting more than 30 countries.
He commanded an infantry rifle platoon and rifle company in combat in Vietnam; an F-4 squadron; the Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort S. C.; and Marine Corps Air Bases, Eastern Area in the U.S.
He served as the executive officer in an infantry company, aviation squadron and Marine Aircraft Group. He also served as a jet flight instructor and as a recruiter of officer candidates.
His staff duties involved strategic planning; aide de camp; and “planning, programming, budgeting, and analysis” functions in major USMC command headquarters as well as in the Pentagon on the staffs of the Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense.
In addition to several shorter, specialized courses of instruction, he graduated with distinction from the Marine Corps Officer Basic School, USAF pilot training, the Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the USAF Air Command and Staff College, and the National War College.
At the time of his retirement, he was serving simultaneously as the Marine Corps’ first Chief Information Officer; the Assistant Chief of Staff, Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Interoperability (C4I); and the Director of Intelligence at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C.
Leaving active duty, he joined the Armed Forces Communications Electronics Association, International for three years following which he served at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum as the Director of Development. His service now is focussed on developing the patriotic, responsible citizens who will keep America strong, and he serves in a leadership or advisory capacity on several youth-oriented organizations which contribute to that goal.

New Member Orientation - Friday November 10
2023-11-10 09:00 - 09:45 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States

Curriculum Meeting with Jane Howard - November 8
2023-11-08 13:15 - 14:00 | Zoom Registration Required

Catawba History 101 with Kassidy Plyler
2023-11-03 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: Catawba History 101: History and Traditions of the Catawba Nation
SPEAKER: Kassidy Plyler, Cultural Programs Docent/Exhibit Coordinator, Catawba Cultural Center
Catawba History 101 explores the rich 6,000-year history of the Catawba Nation

BIOGRAPHY
Kassidy Plyler is an enrolled citizen of the Catawba Nation, born January 24th, 1992, and raised in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Kassidy currently works as the Cultural Programs Docent and Exhibit Coordinator at the Catawba Cultural Center on the reservation.
She has taken the knowledge that she has gained from growing up on the reservation listening to elders and shares it with those eager to learn. She assists with public programming and community cultural classes through dance, basketry, and history lessons. She enjoys sharing the history of the Catawba as much as possible.

Shakespeare is Playing You with Dave Collins
2023-10-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: Shakespeare is Playing You
SPEAKER: Dave Collins, Professor of English, Emeritus
Shakespeare’s language, Early Modern English, can be confusing for people who haven’t spent a lot of time with the Bard.
Best advice? Don’t worry about understanding every word. Enjoy yourself and focus on the big picture. Sometimes understanding depends on knowing about ideas current in Shakespeare’s world. Sometimes a quick wit and a good ear are enough. Sometimes what matters is a good ear and a good heart.
We’ll look at an example or two in each category to see how Shakespeare uses language to get around our defenses–nobody likes to be preached to!–to move his audience toward his way of seeing the world.

North Carolina’s Energy Future with John Gaertner
2023-10-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: North Carolina’s Energy Future — An Independent Perspective on Duke Energy’s Transition to Zero-Carbon
SPEAKER: John Gaertner, Climate Consultant
Duke Energy, community stakeholders, and the NC Utilities Commission engaged in 2023 to produce the latest Carbon Plan and Integrated Resource Plan for energy generation through the year 2050.
This energy transition is complex and costly, but also necessary. It will impact us all and revolutionize NC’s energy infrastructure.
This talk will address:
• background — how we got to here
• key features of the plan and its execution process
• exciting new technologies
• impact on consumers and citizens

BIOGRAPHY
John Gaertner is a consultant on climate change and energy. As a technical advisor to Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders, he has analyzed Duke Energy’s generation planning since 2020 and authored a review of their Climate Strategy with the full support of Duke Energy.
He participated in workshops on hydrogen infrastructure, power needs for electric vehicles, and other regional energy issues. John is retired from Electric Power Research Institute as Technical Executive.
He was Senior Vice President of ERIN Engineering and Research, and was an Engineer and Atmospheric Scientist with Duke Energy.
John holds MS degree in Atmospheric Science from MIT, BS in Physics from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was a Professional Engineer in North Carolina.

Medical News Seniors Can Use with Dr. Soden at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
2023-10-17 10:30 - 12:00 | Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28216, United States
TOPIC: Medical News Seniors Can Use
A Joint Presentation of Senior Scholars & Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
Medical advances just keep coming, and Dr. Soden will help seniors understand what are the latest that they need to know.
Join us at the beautiful Friendship Missionary Conference Center for a cup of coffee, new friends, and some enlightening conversation. Face masks are optional.
Event will be at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Conference Center and will be followed by a tour of the church. See the awe-inspiring 2,500 seat sanctuary, one of the most beautiful in the country.
Afterwards, join us at Laurene’s Cafeteria, 1821 Bishop Madison Lane for a “Dutch treat” lunch.
A carpool option from PUMC may be available. Please email Carol Kesmodel if you are interested in the carpool option.

How Do Elections Work? with Mary Jo McGowan
2023-10-13 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: How do elections work? A look at how election administration works in the US states.
SPEAKER: Mary Jo McGowan, Dept of Political Science and Public Administration, UNC-Charlotte
How do elections work? After recent elections many people have questions about how elections work, who runs them, and are they secure?
Beyond voting and campaigning most Americans know little about how elections work behind the scenes. This lack of understanding can lead to questions about elections, voting machines, and ways to make elections accessible and accountable.

BIOGRAPHY
Mary Jo McGowan is a faculty member at UNC Charlotte in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration.
Her research focus is on public policies relating to elections and running for office. She is a part of a research team studying impacts of election administration on electoral outcomes.
The team (Martha Kropf, Zachary Mohr, Mary Jo McGowan and JoEllen V. Pope) will publish their study of election costs A Republic If You Can Afford It: How Much Does it Cost to Administer an Election later this year.
Additionally, she studies policy complexity and its effect on outcome variables such as candidate decisions to run for office. Dr. McGowan teaches in the Model UN, Public Policy, and introductory Political Science courses. She is the Undergraduate Director for the Political Science Dept and Director of the American Studies program at UNC Charlotte.

New Member Orientation - Friday October 13
2023-10-13 09:00 - 09:45 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States

Curriculum Meeting with Jane Howard - October 11
2023-10-11 13:15 - 14:00 | Zoom Registration Required

What’s the Prescription for US Healthcare: Nip & Tuck or Major Surgery?
2023-10-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: What’s the Prescription for US Healthcare: Nip & Tuck or Major Surgery?
SPEAKER: George Bohmfalk, MD
Dr. Bohmfalk will discuss the present status of healthcare delivery in the US and various ways in which it might be improved.

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Bohmfalk grew up, did his medical training, and practiced neurosurgery in Texas.
Since retiring he and his wife have divided their years between Charlotte and western Colorado to be with their sons and grandsons.
He became involved with Health Care Justice — NC and advocacy for Medicare for All in 2017.

Field Trip: Statues on Little Sugar Creek Parkway
2023-10-04 10:30 - 13:00 | NC
SOLD OUT! Get on the waiting list.
Wednesday October 4th and will be a walking tour of the Statues on Little Sugar Creek Parkway.
We will meet at 10:30 am (location provided upon signing up), and the tour will last 90 minutes.
The cost is $10 per person payable when they register. Group is limited to 20 people.
RSVP above or at a Friday meeting.

Lunch Bunch - September 29
2023-09-29 11:45 - 12:45 | NC
SOLD OUT! Get on the wait list.
Join your fellow members for some lunch social time at Little Mama’s Italian restaurant.
Space is limited. Sign up at a Friday meeting or RSVP with link above. Parking and entrance is behind the restaurant.
Little Mama’s Italian restaurant
4521 Sharon Rd
Charlotte, NC 28211

The American Revolution in Mecklenburg County with Hugh Dussek
2023-09-29 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: The American Revolution in Mecklenburg County
SPEAKER: Hugh Dussek, History Professor, CPCC
A presentation about the people living in Mecklenburg County during the American Revolution, the nearby Revolutionary War battles, and the events during the British occupation of Charlotte in the later stages of the war.

BIOGRAPHY
Originally from London, England, Hugh Dussek has lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, for over twenty years.
Hugh holds a doctoral degree in history from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is a history professor, and chair of the history department, at Central Piedmont in Charlotte, where he teaches courses on world civilizations, American history, the history of North Carolina, and mythology.
Hugh serves on the boards of the Charlotte Museum of History, Historic Rosedale, and the Historic Mapping Congress, and gives presentations in the community and on television about American, British and local history.

Global Famine with Dr. Colleen Hammelman
2023-09-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
GREAT DECISIONS TOPIC: Global Famine
SPEAKER: Dr. Colleen Hammelman, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and Director of the Charlotte Action Research Project at UNC Charlotte
World hunger has galvanized public attention and policymakers for centuries.
While significant political, economic, and technological advances have been made such that the worst cases of widespread hunger (famine) are much less common today; there remain significant, and growing, rates of food insecure people worldwide. Recent geopolitical and environmental challenges are exacerbating hunger and creating new potential for famine.
Drawing on the speaker’s 10+ years of food systems research, this lecture will examine contemporary drivers of hunger and famine and ongoing challenges to meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030. It will also share current political, economic and technological responses, and innovative solutions that are being pursued across the globe. Famine and world hunger are long-standing and systemic challenges, but significant and promising interventions are being implemented worldwide.

BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Hammelman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences and Director of the Charlotte Action Research Project at UNC Charlotte.
Her research and teaching broadly consider questions of social justice in urban food systems across the Americas. In particular, her research focuses on better understanding how migrants create and experience urban places through food relationships in an effort to create a more sustainable and equitable food system.
She has published widely on topics such as food security, urban agriculture, and changing food landscapes, including a 2022 book titled: Greening Cities by Growing Food: A Political Ecology Analysis of Urban Agriculture in the Americas. Before joining UNC Charlotte in 2017, Dr. Hammelman was a Post-doctoral Fellow at the Culinaria Research Centre at the University of Toronto-Scarborough.
She completed her PhD in Geography and Urban Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia, her MA in International Affairs at American University in Washington, DC, and her BA in Political Science and Technical Journalism at Colorado State University.

AARP's Advocacy Role Nationally & Locally with Rebecca Gilbert
2023-09-15 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: AARP’s Advocacy: Representing the 50+ in North Carolina and the Nation
SPEAKER: Rebecca Gilbert, Associate State Director for AARP in the Charlotte Region.
This presentation will walk participants through how AARP advocates on behalf of older adults in Charlotte, on the North Carolina state scale, and nationwide.

BIOGRAPHY
Rebecca Gilbert is the Associate State Director for AARP in the Charlotte Region. AARP Charlotte strongly advocates for the region’s 50-plus and presents a regular lineup of local events and educational workshops. Before joining AARP North Carolina, Rebecca was on the AARP National Office Grassroots Advocacy Team, where she worked with all AARP state offices, including ones in the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Rebecca is an advocate for AARP and she presents programs and hosts workshops to help people get the most out of life. AARP events include programs for family caregivers, fraud prevention, help for job seekers, and more. In addition, AARP hosts opportunities to socialize, volunteer and have fun.
Before joining the AARP team, Gilbert previously worked on public policy campaigns with the Pew Charitable Trusts and Oxfam America.

New Member Orientation - Friday September 15
2023-09-15 09:00 - 09:45 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States

Curriculum Meeting with Jane Howard - September 13
2023-09-13 13:15 - 14:00 | Zoom Registration Required

Classical Music of Spain and Latin America with Frank Dominguez
2023-09-08 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: Classical Music of Spain and Latin America
SPEAKER: Frank Dominguez, General Manager, WDAV and Host of Concierto
The presentation explores the variety of ethnic and religious influences that make up Spanish culture, and demonstrates how these sources are expressed in the music of Spain. It also traces the development of musical nationalism in Europe, and traces the progress of Spanish classical music from Europe to the New World, where it blended with the music of enslaved Africans and indigenous people.

BIOGRAPHY
Since 1994 Frank Dominguez has been a familiar voice to classical music listeners on WDAV. Over the years he has played a crucial part in station programming decisions through various roles and currently leads the station as General Manager/Host and Producer of Night Music and Concíerto.
Prior to coming to WDAV, Frank began his radio career at 90.7 WFAE, where he hosted the popular Sunday evening music program, Nightscapes. In addition he has worked extensively in local theater as an actor and director, including productions for Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte, CAST, Theatre Charlotte and Opera Carolina.
He holds a BFA in Theater from Adelphi University as well as MA and MFA degrees from the University of New Orleans. Frank and his wife, Liz, live in Charlotte. Happily, most of Frank’s interests are a part of what he does for a living. A few that he can’t pursue while on the job are reading mysteries and spy novels, movies, and other types of music.

Sorting Out Charlotte with Dr. Tom Hanchett
2023-05-26 10:00 - 11:00 | Providence United Methodist Church (PUMC) – Wolfe Hall, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, North Carolina, 28211
Today’s top local issues — school boundaries, affordable housing, gentrification — are often shaped by Charlotte’s neighborhood geography. How did Charlotte develop its current ”wedge and crescent” pattern of wealth in the south, less prosperity across the center of the county? Community historian Dr. Tom Hanchett returns to explore that sometimes surprising story, based on the 2020 second edition of his history of Charlotte, Sorting Out the New South City.
Educated at Cornell, University of Chicago and UNC Chapel Hill, Dr. Hanchett is a popular speaker on our city’s past and present. Charlotte Magazine calls him “Charlotte’s Dr. History” and named him a 2015 Charlottean of the Year. Find his wide-ranging writings — neighborhood walking tours, “recorded in Charlotte” music history, immigrant restaurant profiles and more.

Queens University of Charlotte: Today and Tomorrow with Dr. Sarah Fatherly
2023-05-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: Queens University of Charlotte: Today and Tomorrow
The chief academic officer of Queens will visit with the Seniors Scholars to share an update on current campus activities as well as discuss the aspirational strategic vision that is guiding its plans for the near future.
BIOGRAPHY
Sarah Fatherly is the chief academic officer for Queens University of Charlotte, overseeing all academic programs and services. Having served in that role since 2017, Dr. Fatherly has almost two decades of experience in academic administration.
She joined the Queens community in 2012 as associate provost and dean of university programs providing a renewed focus to undergraduate student success and retention. In addition to scholarship in her academic fields of study, Fatherly has published and presented widely on scaling high-impact practices, equity-minded curriculum innovation, faculty development practices, and campus partnerships for student success. She earned a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College, an M.A., and a Ph.D. in United States History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season, What to Expect in the Carolinas with Brad Panovich
2023-05-12 10:00 - 11:00 | Hybrid: In-Person at PUMC & via Zoom, 2810 Providence Rd, Charlotte, NC, 28211, United States
TOPIC: 2023 Atlantic Hurricane Season, What to Expect in the Carolinas with Brad Panovich
A detailed look at the climatological set-up for the upcoming hurricane season.

BIOGRAPHY
Growing up outside of Cleveland, Ohio, I’ve always been fascinated by severe weather. I love thunderstorms, tornadoes, blizzards and hurricanes. My parents thought I was crazy, but they soon realized I really loved this stuff!
By the time I was 6 years old, I knew I wanted to be a meteorologist. I wanted to be a scientist, not some “TV weather guy,” I wanted to chase storms and do research. Plus, those TV guys were always wrong and really weren’t trained meteorologists (so I thought – wrongly, as it turned out some were). But at Copley High School in Copley, Ohio, I got to take part in a mentorship program with a TV meteorologist and a National Weather Service meteorologist. I was really blown away by all the computers and technology the TV meteorologist used, and I really enjoyed making graphics. Not to mention the thing I love about weather the most is sharing my passion with others, even if they think I’m kind of strange.
I then picked my college based on the meteorology program. So naturally, I attended The Ohio State University and played a little soccer there along the way. During my junior and senior years at OSU, I was able to chase tornadoes with my fellow students and professors during the Spring quarter. It was the best spring break I could have imagined.
After OSU, I landed a job at the NBC station in Dayton, Ohio, doing the morning shift. Soon another station came calling — this time a smaller market FOX affiliate that offered a unique opportunity. They asked me to start an entire weather department from the ground up. I was to be their first Chief Meteorologist in Traverse City, Michigan. Talk about snow!
Not 15 months later, I was attending a weather conference and was asked if I’d like to work in New Orleans. I soon was moving to the Big Easy as the weekend meteorologist at WWL-TV, the CBS affiliate on the Gulf Coast. I spent more than three years there, chasing hurricanes and rainstorms that often flooded the city. The entire city sits below sea level. Talk about heavy rain! In 2005, I actually went back to help out my old station before a hurricane hit the Gulf coast. I ended up being in the middle of the worst hurricane in U.S. history, Hurricane Katrina. I rode the storm out in a cramped conference hall attached to the Super Dome and spent two nights in the city before being moved up to Baton Rouge, where I stayed for 15 days working for WWL. I went back a week later to work again as Hurricane Rita approached the Gulf Coast and stayed another two weeks.
Now, I am happy to be here at WCNC Charlotte as part of the WCNC Charlotte Weather Team. I really love Charlotte and the Carolinas with their proximity to the mountains and the beach. I’m an avid outdoor adventurer, and the Carolinas provide me and my wife and 2 children along with our dog lots of places to explore.
When I’m not working I still follow the weather. It’s a passion that I’ve luckily turned into a career. I love biking, golfing, hiking and playing soccer and basketball.
If you see me around, feel free to ask me about the weather. It’s my favorite topic of conversation.
Email me at bpanovich@wcnc.com or follow Brad Panovich on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
