Interim Director of Niner Finances
Nicole Benford is the Interim Director of Niner Finances. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado Denver with her BA in Sociology and a UNC Charlotte Alumni with her Masters of Accountancy (MACC) from the Belk College of Business. After spending 20 years in Financial Services with TIAA starting as a financial consultant (helping participants invest and plan for retirement), she transitioned to her Accounting & Finance career, spending time in Internal Audit and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A). She is passionate about Financial Literacy and has spent a lot of time volunteering to teach Financial Literacy throughout her career and is excited to join this field to help ensure that the next generation of college graduates makes better decisions during their college years and is better prepared for life after college.
Assistant Director
Ashley O’Bruba is the Assistant Director for Niner Finances and also a graduate student working towards her MBA. She is a UNC Charlotte Alumni with a B.S. in Exercise Science, her Master’s in Educational Leadership, and a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies. With over five years of experience in higher education, specializing in team and program management, systems development, and mentorship, she is excited to expand her skill set with financial literacy. Ashley is passionate about diversity, equity, inclusion efforts, and sustainability initiatives and plans to expand on their relationships with personal finance within Niner Finances.
Interim Assistant Director
Patrick T. Sahd serves as the Interim Assistant Director of Niner Finances. He holds a BS in Supply Chain Management from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Business Management from Loyola University Maryland. With over 20 years of teaching experience at high school and college levels, he currently works as an Economics & Personal Finance teacher within CMS. Additionally, he serves as an adjunct instructor at Johnson & Wales University and Central Piedmont Community College, where he teaches entrepreneurship, business, and technology courses. Patrick has been an EPF Master Teacher in North Carolina for the past 2 years, providing professional development sessions to numerous educators on behalf of the North Carolina Council of Economic Education. He is dedicated to promoting financial education and its lasting impact on young individuals.
Financial Wellness Coach, Lead
Justin Howard is a Senior Civil Engineering major at UNC Charlotte with a minor in Economics. As an Engineer, Justin deeply enjoys problem solving and feels that open mindedness is a strong tool that can deeply impact any setting. As a Peer Ambassador, Justin’s main approach is to take an organized approach to setting up positive and manageable goals in order to ensure long term financial success. Outside of academia Justin is a member of the ASCE, NSBE, and spends a lot of free time cycling and deeply enjoys learning about late 20th Century media and art forms.
Financial Wellness Coach, Lead
Ronni Lilly is a senior majoring in Business Analytics and Marketing Analytics while concurrently working towards a Professional Science Master in Data Science and Business Analytics. Active on campus, she serves on the Student Government Association as the Vice Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee. Her favorite organizations include memberships in the Business Honors Program and Enactus entrepreneurship club. As a Peer Ambassador, Ronni aims to teach others to use financial literacy as an equalizer to level the playing field, and hopes to equip others with knowledge to build a strong foundation for financial success.
Financial Wellness Coach
Dhwani (Woo) is a sophomore majoring in Finance with a minor in Data Science and plans on pursuing a career in consulting. To give back to the community, she volunteers at the local women’s shelter and Gurudwara. She is a people person and enjoys interacting with new people and building relationships. As a first generation U.S. college student, she is excited to learn in depth about financial literacy and educate others on it. Dhwani’s Top 5 strengths are: Competition, Activator, Maximizer, Achiever, Positivity.
Financial Wellness Coach
Arshia is a junior majoring in Economics and minoring in Data Science, with fascination in the intersection of data insights and the challenges of economic decision-making. Some interests of hers include calisthenics, weightlifting, and pickleball. As an honors student and a financial wellness coach, she finds joy in sharing her expertise in financial literacy with other students.
Financial Wellness Coach
Cydney is a junior majoring in Public Health with a minor in Legal Studies. Upon graduation, she plans to attend Law School to become a Malpractice Attorney. In her free time, she enjoys reading and playing golf. As a Financial Wellness Coach, Cydney hopes to educate other students about the importance and benefits of financial literacy.
Financial Wellness Coach
Sylvia is a junior majoring in Finance and International Business with a minor in Italian. She enjoys being an active participant on UNC Charlotte’s campus through her involvement with the Levine Scholars Program, Business Honors Program, Niner Guides, Niner Times, and club sports. In her free time, she enjoys playing tennis, reading, and going to concerts with her friends. As a Peer Ambassador, Sylvia is excited to share her knowledge of financial literacy with students to help them achieve financial freedom.
Financial Wellness Coach
David Cheruga is a junior majoring in Finance and Marketing Analytics. He is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and is passionate about financial freedom. He hopes to spread his financial knowledge among his peers and help others achieve their financial goals. When he's not studying or working, he enjoys spending time with friends, watching football, and playing the piano.
Financial Wellness Coach
Jerrod is a sophomore who is majoring in Computer Science, but has also been investing on his own for a very long time. Jerrod was born in Canada, but has been living in North Carolina for over 15 years. When he is not working he loves to spend time with his friends and learn about new things.
Financial Wellness Coach
Mariana is a sophomore double majoring in Political Science and International Studies with a concentration in Peace, Conflict and Identity. Mariana is originally from Colombia, she has lived in Brazil, Germany and Colombia but she moved here for her senior year of High School. She’s interested in the media coverage of political and social issues including, research on social sciences. When not working she enjoys playing volleyball, spending time with friends and watching movies.
Financial Wellness Coach
Tevin is a freshman double majoring in Computer Science and Economics. He was born in Kuwait. He hopes to one day enter the quantitative finance industry. When not working or in class, he enjoys spending time with his friends and investing his own money.
Ashley Alcivar Conteron, Financial Wellness Coach
Taliyah Green, Financial Wellness Coach
Aariz Khan, Financial Wellness Coach