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Meet Our Staff

Office of Internal Audit

Kelly Mintern, CPA, CIA, CISA

Chief Audit Officer

910.962.3088
minternk@uncw.edu

Kelly joined the Office of Internal Audit in September 2010. She is currently the Chief Audit Officer. In her role, Kelly leads the Office of Internal Audit and collaborates with the University’s senior management and the Board of Trustees to ensure the office is meeting the University’s needs and adheres to the Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing. She develops the annual audit plan and oversees audit, consulting, and investigative engagements.

Before joining UNCW, Kelly worked as an audit senior at Dixon Hughes PLLC in Greenville, NC and as an audit senior/staff in the Financial Services sector at Deloitte & Touche in New York. Kelly is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).

Taylor Rote, CPA

Assistant Director

910.962.3457
rotet@uncw.edu

Taylor joined the Office of Internal Audit as Assistant Director in January of 2023.  Before joining the Office of Internal Audit, Taylor worked as an Audit Manager at SEK, CPAs & Advisors in Chambersburg, PA. Prior to that role, Taylor worked as an Audit Senior Associate at what was formerly RSM US LLP in Wilmington, NC. During her career in public accounting, Taylor was primarily responsible for leading various financial statement and compliance audits of local governmental and educational agencies, higher education institutions, and for-profit entities.  Taylor is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of North Carolina.

Nicholas Koller, CPA 

Senior Internal Auditor

910.962.3857
kollern@uncw.edu

Nicholas joined the Office of Internal Audit as a Senior Internal Auditor in April 2025. Prior to joining the Office of Internal Audit, Nicholas worked at BDO USA, P.C. as an Assurance Senior Associate. During his career in public accounting, Nicholas was responsible for leading financial statement audits for nonprofit healthcare systems, higher education institutions, and for-profit entities. Nick is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the state of North Carolina.

Nina Taylor

Auditor

910.962.3835
taylorn@uncw.edu

Nina joined the Office of Internal Audit as an Auditor in August 2022.  Prior to joining the Office of Internal Audit, Nina served as Director of FTE Compliance Review at Cape Fear Community College performing a variety of professional level duties assuring college programs and reporting procedures were compliant with System guidelines.  In a previous role, Nina worked with the NC Community Colleges System Office leading and assisting with policy reviews and compliance audits for the 58 North Carolina community colleges ensuring adherence to the mission of the office.  She has over 15 years of experience working with North Carolina educational institutions, to include leading internal and external audits. Nina’s primary focus is to conduct operational, compliance, financial, and special audits and consultations at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Alex Harvell

Auditor

910.962.7338
harvella@uncw.edu

Alex joined the Office of Internal Audit in September 2023. Alex is a recent graduate of UNCW's Cameron School of Business. Before attending UNCW, Alex served in the United States Air Force as a Journeyman Firefighter and Alarm Room Dispatcher, handling records for equipment use, emergency responses, and personnel locations, to ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA, and Military Standards. Alex assists the office in conducting operational, compliance, financial, and special audits or consultations.