2023 Belk College Alumni Awards

Chris Peek '93 Business Administration, President and CEO of CaroMont Health, will receive the Belk College’s highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award.

Peek is the President and Chief Executive Officer of CaroMont Health. In this role, Peek leads a regional healthcare system comprised of CaroMont Health Regional Medical Center, CaroMont Medical Group, Courtland Terrace, and Gaston Hospice.

With more than 25 years of experience in leading national and regional nonprofit and public administration organizations, Peek joined CaroMont Health in 2017. Using the philosophy of "clinically-led, professionally managed," Peek worked to align operational, medical, and clinical leadership in support of a healthcare model that prioritizes compassion, accountability, reliability, excellence and safety. 

Recognized for innovative leadership, Peek was named to the Business North Carolina Power List in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the Charlotte Business Journal Power 100 List for 2022.  He serves on several community nonprofit boards, including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Gaston, the Gaston Business Association and the Community Foundation of Gaston County, and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the North Carolina Healthcare Association.  

A 30-year resident of Gaston County, Peek is an honors graduate from UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business and holds a Master of Business Administration from Amberton University. The Distinguished Alumni Award celebrates alumni who have had a transforming influence on the college and the community over a lifetime.

Elliott Bryant '85 Business Administration, Executive Vice President for Altera Digital Health, will receive the Distinguished Alumni Service Award. 

Bryant, who earned a Bachelor or Arts in business administration, shared his strategic vision while serving as the chair of the Belk College of Business Board of Advisors in 2022-23 and the vice-chair of the Board in 2021-22.  He also served as the keynote speaker for the Belk College's first annual CONNECT: Managing Career Development event in 2022 where he shared his journey from a first-generation college student from Supply, NC to becoming UNC Charlotte's student body president. 

Bryant is Executive Vice President for Altera Digital Health, a global healthcare IT innovator that develops and elevates technology to connect and inspire healthier communities.  Previously, Bryant was senior vice president and general manager for the Classic Client Solutions business unit at Allscripts and served as the co-chair of the Allscripts corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiative along with the Allscripts CEO. 

Elliott held similar vice president and general manager roles at McKesson, and enjoyed a distinguished career at AT&T where he led the product management group for the consumer broadband business. Elliott is also a joint inventor of two patents, both secured while at AT&T. 

A graduate of UNC Charlotte's Belk College of Business, he also holds a Master of Science degree in Leadership and Business Ethics from Duquesne University and has completed the Executive Management Program at Dartmouth College. 

In addition to serving on the Belk College of Business Board of Advisors, Bryant serves on the Board of Advisors for the LDAC Kappa Foundation.

Jessica Medlin '05 Finance is Senior Vice President for ECM an IMA company, an independent insurance agency in Charlotte. She has been with the agency for the 15 years. In 2022, Medlin earned the “Producer of the Year” honor at ECM Solutions, a peer recognition for excellence in insurance consulting services.  

During her time at UNC Charlotte, Medlin participated in several leadership opportunities within professional fraternities and internships that opened the door to a career in the insurance industry.  Because of the mentorship, networking, volunteer work, and personal growth she experienced during her time in the Risk Management and Insurance program in the Belk College of Business, Medlin now volunteers her time giving back to the RMI program through the Gamma Iota Sigma professional fraternity. 

“I would not be where I am today in my career without the personal and professional relationships built within the Belk College of Business and the Risk Management and Insurance program.”

The award recognizes an alumnus/a who is age 40 or younger, who has demonstrated achievement and shows a promising future in business.

Deon G. Ritchie, Facilities and Operations Specialist in the Belk College of Business, will receive the Honorary Alumni Award. 

In 2022, Ritchie was selected to become UNC Charlotte's first recipient of the Richard R. Caswell Award, which recognizes state employees with 45 or more years of noteworthy, dedicated service to North Carolina. 

After twenty years with the Employment Security Commission, Ritchie joined the UNC Charlotte Career Center in 1996 before starting her 27 year tenure with the Belk College of Business in 1998.  Tim Carmichael, Ritchie's colleague and friend for more than 15 years shared why she is so special, "Deon has a unique way of putting herself where she can help people...she is the kind of person who quietly makes a difference every single day" and, "simply put, Deon is the most capable person I have ever met ... I have the highest regard for her work, her dedication to service, her pride in this institution, and her strength of character." Today, Ritchie continues to support the Belk College of Business in her role as Facilities and Operations Specialist where she showcases these values in her daily work. 

Serving others has always been a priority for Deon and her late husband, Clyde Ritchie, who were married for 52 years. In 2023, fundraising for the Deon and Clyde Ritchie Belk College Staff Award began to recognize a staff member who exhibits passion, longevity and dedication to the college during their time at UNC Charlotte. 

Deon Ritchie will receive the Belk College of Business Honorary Alumni Award that recognizes individuals who, while not graduates of the Belk College, have made significant contributions to its leadership, vision and educational mission.