Morgan Hunt Warriax has joined UNC Pembroke’s Office for Advancement as assistant director of development for the annual fund and donor relations.
In her new role, Hunt Warriax will lead for several areas of donor relations and fundraising, including the Chancellor’s Club, Annual Fund, Faculty/Staff Campaign and State Employees Combined Campaign. The Chancellor’s Club is the society of the university’s top supporters, and the Annual Fund campaign reaches out to alumni, friends and parents of current students.
Hunt Warriax comes from the Office of Admissions, where she was an assistant director responsible for recruitment in Robeson County and western North Carolina. She is a 2006 UNCP graduate and expects to graduate in December 2013 with a Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Hunt Warriax reports to Alison DeCinti, director of development, who welcomed her to Advancement.
“We are thrilled to add a position focused on annual giving and stewardship. Annual giving is the flagship of all fundraising campaigns and a critical part of our future success,” DeCinti said. “Morgan is the perfect person for this role, because she brings in a depth of knowledge about our university and community. She will be a true asset to our division.”
As an undergraduate and recipient of an Alumni Scholarship, Hunt Warriax once worked the phone bank for the university’s Annual Fund. She is no stranger to promoting UNCP.
“I know firsthand the excitement on UNCP’s campus these days, and I am already an enthusiastic supporter and representative for UNCP,” Hunt Warriax said. “I come to the Office for Advancement knowing UNCP from an alumnus’ point of view. For the past year, I have been telling the UNC Pembroke story while recruiting new students for the university.”
A health promotions major at UNCP, Hunt Warriax worked five years for the Lumbee Tribe building community relationships as an health educator, grant writer and volunteer coordinator. As she worked on community issues such as tobacco cessation, homicide and motor vehicle safety, she was impressed with the countless volunteer hours that UNCP students and faculty contributed to the tribe.
“It was truly remarkable to see the dedication of our students and the determination of our faculty to help the tribe with youth and other projects,” Hunt Warriax said. “There is a very strong historic link between the university and Lumbee community that continues today in so many ways.”
At UNCP, she has made friends and formed relationships. “As a student, I received unconditional encouragement from faculty, staff and students who made me feel at home,” Hunt Warriax said.
“My college career was memorably marked with lasting relationships with professors, life-long friends, all the while receiving a great education, learning more about myself and preparing for future challenges,” she said.
One of the highlights of her undergraduate years was winning the Miss UNCP Scholarship Pageant and competing for the title of Miss North Carolina.
“That was an important opportunity for me, and I really benefited from the friends I made here on campus and across North Carolina,” Hunt Warriax said. “My first job as an entertainer and children’s activity coordinator for a cruise line was the result of those acquaintances.”
She has been active in the community working on many projects. A member of the Board of Directors of the Robeson County Rape Crisis Center, Hunt Warriax counts among her causes the Boys and Girls Club, diabetes prevention, teen smoking cessation and the Lumbee Tribe. For her work, she will be honored in November at the 37th Annual Indian Progress in Business Awards as a “Top 40 Under 40” in Indian Country.”
Hunt Warriax is looking forward to promoting the university to alumni and friends. She outlined several goals.
“I want to strengthen our relationships with existing donors and cultivate new friends,” she said. “In particular, I want to increase the participation of students and young alumni with their university.
“I want existing donors and prospective donors to remember two things: the gift they make will enhance the quality of education our students receive, and provide opportunities for students who might not have had the resources to achieve a college education,” Hunt Warriax said.
“To alumni, I want to stress the importance of giving to their university,” she continued. “When you invest in The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, it increases the value of your own degree.
“I am eager for new challenges and to promote a university that I love,” Hunt Warriax concluded.
To learn more about the Office for Advancement, please contact them at 910.521.6252, email advancement@uncp.edu or visit their website at www.uncp.edu/advanement/.