Racial & Ethnic Diversity Groups

Tawana Feimster co-chair of the African-American Subcommittee

Dr. Tawana D. Feimster became board certified in endodontics in 2014. Before obtaining her dream of becoming a specialist, she obtained a BS degree in Dental Hygiene at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After completing the first two years of dental school at Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry, she was granted a research position at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD and transferred to Howard University College of Dentistry to complete her dental degree.

After graduating at the top of her class, with a research publication, Dr. Feimster decided to further her dental education and completed a General Practice Residency at St. Barnabas Hospital in Bronx, NY, then obtained a Master’s of Science in Biomedical Sciences and a certificate in Endodontics from the University of Maryland-Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in Baltimore, MD.

After completing the Endodontic residency, Dr. Feimster returned to Howard University as an Assistant Professor. She maintained a Deans Faculty position at the University of Maryland and opened an Endodontic specialty practice. She was named Top Dentist in the Northern Virginia Magazine while in private practice in 2014 and 2015. Dr. Feimster is a Board-Certified member of the American Board of Endodontics, an active member of the American Association of Endodontist, and the American Dental Association. She has been active in the Edward C. Penick Study Club, and the National Dental Association.

After realizing that she wanted to expand her reach on a population level, she obtained a Master’s in Public Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and completed a Fellowship in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. While completing the Practicum with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Feimster played a pivotal role in developing a sustainable policy for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and integrating the policy into the Strategic Plan at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She also co-authored, “Perspectives on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI): A call for oral health care policy” in the Journal of Dental Education which is believed to serve as a valuable resource for years to come.

With a targeted interest in assessing how the social determinants of health impact dental school applicants and dental students, Dr. Feimster organized and facilitates a dental mentoring group to off-set the barriers that marginalized students may face while preparing and applying for dental school.  She is a director of a non-profit organization that works to reduce barriers for at-risk youth, volunteers as an American Board of Endodontics mock board interviewer, and serve as the Vice President of Membership for the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels Charlotte.  Dr. Feimster continues her clinical practice to help off-set dental and educational disparities in the areas surrounding her hometown and on the island of Bermuda.

Dr. Feimster enjoys traveling, experiencing new cultures, cycling, painting, mentoring,  spending time with family and friends and volunteering with her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Hans Huang chair of the Asian American Alumni Subcommittee

Hans Huang is an experienced in-house attorney and legal professional with over twenty-five years of legal, senior, and executive management experience, currently serving as the General Counsel for Rivercrest Realty Investors since 2020, after serving as the Chief Legal Officer for a regional construction company headquartered in Florida.  His legal career includes representing and working with companies in various stages and their executives, from publicly traded e-commerce companies to technology and pharmaceutical organizations; from local restaurants to national specialty food and franchise organizations; from utility companies to financial institutions.  In additional to serving on various boards and advisory boards, Hans has also supported and lead various Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Solution organizations and has received a Certificate in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Solutions issued by Opportunity Hub supported by affiliated faculty at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative.  Hans also caught the entrepreneurial bug in 2004 with his first restaurant venture and has developed and operated several hospitality concepts since.

Kerry Bird chair of the American Indian Subcommittee

Kerry D. Bird is a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of South Dakota and has heritage from the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. He was formerly employed as a Development Officer in the Office of Development at UNC Chapel Hill. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and holds a Master’s of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Kerry served as a diversity consultant with ProGroup, Inc. for several years. He was previously employed as the interim executive director for Native Americans in Philanthropy and the National Native American AIDS Prevention Center and as project director for the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs.

Kerry is a former member Board of Visitors for UNC, the President of Triangle Native American Society, a former board member of the LGBT Center of Raleigh, and a past President of United Tribes of North Carolina.

Kerry and his husband live in Raleigh.

Maribel Carrion chair of the Latina/o Subcommittee

Maribel Carrion is the Executive Director of Student Administration and Enterprise Reporting in the Information Technology Services (ITS) organization at UNC Chapel Hill. She has more than 30 years of experience working in technology, including roles based in Mexico and Singapore, as well as managing teams in Europe, South America and Southeast Asia. She returned to the Chapel Hill area in 2000 and joined UNC-Chapel Hill in 2009. Maribel holds a BS in Mathematics and an MBA, both from UNC-Chapel Hill. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Maribel began her travels as an “Army brat” when she was less than a year old. Her family would go on to live in North Carolina, Germany, Florida, Panama, Puerto Rico and then back to North Carolina. She credits this background for creating a lasting curiosity for the cultures, languages and arts in different parts of the world. In today’s environment, she feels it is important for all young people to have some type of experience that exposes them to the global environment – especially those under-represented students that can least afford it. As a result, she has worked with the Center for Global Initiatives to create opportunities through the Global Take Off: Puerto Rico program. She also supports the Carolina Performing Arts’ Student Angel Fund, which ensures that students have access to artists and performances from around the world here at UNC, regardless of their ability to pay. In addition to serving on ACRED for the past 9 years, Maribel currently serves on the Carolina Performing Arts International Advisory Board and the Chancellor’s Global Leadership Council.