Academic Affairs Division welcomes new team members

The Office of Academic Affairs recently welcomed new team members: Maxwell Awando, director of academic affairs human resources, and Joe Rick, director of academic budget. In addition, Sam Stewart was promoted to assistant director of academic budget.

“We are excited to welcome these new team members into academic affairs,” said Leslie Zenk, associate provost and chief of staff. “Their budget and human resource expertise will support the work of our faculty and staff and help us move forward in achieving our goal of becoming a globally recognized top-tier research university.”

Maxwell Awando joined Niner Nation  Jan. 2. He assumes the role previously held by Tiffani McCain and will lead the academic affairs HR team. Maxwell and his team assist academic units in hiring new faculty; they coordinate the review, promotion and tenure calendar and process (including Tenured Faculty Performance Review); and they provide support for a wide range of other faculty HR needs. Awando comes to Charlotte from Winston-Salem State University, where he served as faculty affairs manager. Previously, he worked in faculty affairs at Syracuse University, Virginia Tech and Moi University in Kenya. Awando received a master’s degree in philosophy in human resources development at Moi University and a Ph.D. in higher education leadership and policy studies from Virginia Tech. 


Joe Rick joined Niner Nation Dec. 1, 2023. As director of academic budget, he will assist staff and leadership across the division in managing and allocating financial resources to meet the academic mission. Rick will lead a team of budget analysts and work closely with University central offices. He comes to Charlotte with higher education and nonprofit experience, having served in leadership positions at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the Parenting PATH. Rick received a master’s degree in business administration from UNC Greensboro and a master’s degree in counseling from Wake Forest University. 


Sam Stewart was promoted to assistant director of academic budget Nov. 1, 2023, after previously serving as a budget support specialist for the Division of Academic Affairs. In this new role, he will closely plan and monitor use of financial resources across the division and assist business officers and other business support staff in navigating the complexities of academic resource management. Stewart received a master’s degree in public administration from UNC Pembroke and worked in local government before joining Niner Nation.