Skip to main content

UB Staff

Maurice Mathis, Ed.D
Senior Director, TRIO Pre – College Programs

Contact INFO 

Maurice Mathis provides oversight for both Upward Bound and Talent Search as the Senior Director for TRIO Pre-College Programs. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Truman State University, his Master of Science in Organizational Communication from NC State University, and his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Fayetteville State University. Maurice has served students in Upward Bound and Talent Search for 15 years across three institutions. As an educator, Dr. Mathis has provided a variety of workshops for students and professionals at the local, regional, and national levels. He has served as a National Trainer for the TRIO Training Project (Priority #5), a SAEOPP Board Member / Committee Chair for the Emerging Leaders Institute, and the NC TRIO President, among others. Through each appointment, he keeps the students he serves at the forefront and, as a result, has attended Policy Seminar in Washington DC multiple times to fight for increased funding for TRIO programs. In the 2021 grant competition year, Maurice successfully added a new Talent Search Program (Talent Search Encore) to the department which added an additional 500 students in Wayne County, NC. Maurice enjoys all facets of TRIO work: from writing grants to creating partnerships to increase opportunities for students to overnight trips with students!

Terry Baxter

Assistant Director, Upward Bound Programs

Contact Info

Terry Baxter serves as the Assistant Director for the NC State Upward Bound programs. He began working with an Upward Bound Program in Western North Carolina in 2011 and has continuously worked with high school students to help reach their goals of higher education. Prior to working at TRIO, he was an educator working with students to achieve success in the classroom. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University where he first began to work with students, he is passionate about serving the Upward Bound programs to help students reach their dreams. Outside of TRIO he enjoys watching/playing sports and Netflix. Mr. Baxter looks forward to helping scholars with NC State Upward Bound programs achieve their goal of attending college.

Alston DeVega

Program Coordinator, Upward Bound Programs

Contact Info

Alston DeVega serves as the Program Coordinator for the NC State Upward Bound Program. He is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina and attended Saint Augustine’s University, where he earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice (2019). During his free time, he enjoys getting outside and going for walks, along with watching various streaming services like Netflix. Before joining the Upward Bound staff, he served as the Teen Programs Director for the Alexander Family YMCA in Raleigh and a Youth Development Specialist with the NC Department of Public Safety.  Mr. DeVega is passionate about the growth and personal development of underrepresented high school students, in helping them reach their goals of a stress and debt-free education. 

Catherine Wright
Administrative Support Associate
contact info
Catherine Wright is from Nassau, Bahamas and has earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration with a major in Human Resource Management from McHari International College (The Bahamas). She has worked in the administrative field in the education industry for more than thirty years, supplying thorough administrative support to senior executives. Catherine is the current Administrative Support Associate of the TRIO Programs in the Division of Academic and Student Affairs at NC State University. Her role ensures the smooth operation of events and academic activities within the TRIO Programs.