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Meet DC
Tar Heels

Carolina is at the heart of the United States. Since 1789, we’ve been first to act, first to innovate and first to lead as the country’s first public university.

Tar Heels continue to mold the U.S. and shape its future, and our nation’s capital is a leading example of how Carolina leads the way.

As we celebrate America250, keep scrolling to learn how time in Chapel Hill prepared four Tar Heels for D.C. careers.

  • No. 1D.C. region has the most Tar Heel alumni outside of N.C.

Elizabeth Adkins ’18

Student body president became Capitol Hill chief of staff

Campus leadership roles and studies in journalism/media and political science prepared Elizabeth Adkins ’18 for a congressional career. Now chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee of North Carolina’s 4th District, Adkins ’18 is convinced she wouldn’t be working on Capitol Hill if she hadn’t represented Carolina’s student body, served as a UNC-Chapel Hill trustee and worked alongside other University and Student Government leaders.

Meet Elizabeth Adkins

Elizabeth Adkins posing for posing for portrait outside of her office next to a plaque that reads

I definitely would not be working in Congress if it weren’t for the experience of being student body president.

Elizabeth Adkins posing for portrait in office painted Carolina Blue. Carolina memorabilia and a quilt featuring the N.C. state flag are seen in the background.

Chris Zaber ’99

This Tar Heel works at the ballpark

Now the Washington Nationals’ chief revenue officer, Chris Zaber ’99 made a career across professional sports in four leagues. Zaber came to Carolina planning a medical career but found a home in the sport administration program, and he still connects with Tar Heels, including professor Nels Popp and students in the exercise and sport science department.

Meet Chris Zaber

Chris Zaber posing for portrait while standing with seats and part of the field at Nationals Stadium seen in the background.

Going to Carolina was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. I remember sitting in my basement watching Mike Jordan hit the game winner in ’82, and from there I was kind of hooked on all things Carolina.

Chris Zaber sitting in padded Navy Blue Washington Nationals-branded chair in a suite at Nationals Stadium.

Megan Cassella ’15

Business journalism studies took her to the White House

In Chapel Hill, Megan Cassella ’15 honed reporting skills she uses as a CNBC Washington correspondent, both in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and through roles at student-run publications like The Daily Tar Heel. “Those hands-on experiences that Carolina gave me really kept my interest and have really benefited me since I’ve been up here in D.C.,” said Cassella.

Meet Megan Cassella

Megan Cassella posing for a portrait at an anchor desk inside of CNBC studios. In the background, through a window, is the U.S. Capitol Building.

I have UNC to thank for the fact that I even went into business journalism in the first place.

Megan Cassella posing for a photo near her desk in the CNBC newsroom. In the background are three TVs showing live news programming, including one that says

Frank Blazich ’04

Military history is this Tar Heel veteran’s life work

Curator Frank Blazich ’04 combines personal and professional passions at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Blazich, a U.S. Air Force veteran and active Army Reserve member, earned the first of his three history degrees at Carolina and was a part of the UNC Air Force ROTC.

Meet Frank Blazich

Frank Blazich posing for portrait in front of wall signage reading

Helping others is what gives me the greatest satisfaction of all. To be able to do it with my degrees in history, and the journey that all started at Carolina, is as fantastic as it can get.

Frank Blazich speaking and looking at a camera while standing in front of a green Huey helicopter on display at the

America’s flagship

America250 at Carolina

As the nation’s first public university, Carolina has been guided for more than two centuries by a commitment to lead our state and our nation forward.

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