Meet Alex Mazer, a 2022 UNC-Chapel Hill graduate who now works at Bain & Company as an Associate Consultant in Atlanta, GA. Mazer formerly served on the Daily Tar Heel’s Board of Directors during  all four of his years at UNC and served as President his final year. In this role, Mazer oversaw and advised on the DTH’s operations, including 1893 Brand Studio.

Mazer majored in Business Administration at UNC, but he had a passion for sports journalism since writing at his high school newspaper. As a senior in high school, Mazer reached out to the President of the DTH at the time and learned about the business-oriented opportunities the Board of Directors had to offer.

Mazer found out about the Board of Directors, and realized this experience provided him with a range of unique, hands-on opportunities as an undergraduate student. 

“I was getting a ton of mentorship, which was such a huge value add,” Mazer said. “I didn’t understand how financials worked, or any of that. You learn stuff in business classes, but you don’t actually understand it in practice until you see it in real life. But this is an organization where being a student actually leveled the playing field to a degree and your perspective was so essential that you got to work hand in hand with people who are so experienced in their field.”

Mazer was president of the Board of Directors during the transition from Erica Perel to Courtney Mitchell as General Manager of the Daily Tar Heel. He led the search committee and assisted with Mitchell’s  transition into the office. Mazer and the board also functioned as a sounding board during the transition from Paige Ladisic to Collin Pruitt as Managing Director of 1893 Brand Studio. 

Throughout these transitions, Mazer aimed for the board to serve as a resource to employees of the Daily Tar Heel by asking the right questions and steering employees in the right direction. 

“My philosophy was to be as hands off as possible,” Mazer said. “Recognizing that I’m not involved in the day to day; no one knows the day-to-day better than someone at the DTH, so who am I to kind of say what should happen to the Brand Studio or the newsroom.”

Mazer’s time on the Board also included the COVID-19 pandemic period. During this time, Mazer saw how the community recognized a need for high quality journalism coverage of major news stories surrounding the University and community. 

“The whole reason why the DTH has outlasted everything is because of its role on this campus,” Mazer said. “Sometimes, it’s more clearly visible than others. Definitely when it comes to major news stories. It’s clear that the DTH is there, and it shouldn’t take major producers to remind the community of the need for the DTH.” 

Mazer believes the DTH’s ability to adapt over time is one of its greatest strengths.