Born and reared on a crop farm in Brazil, Sartarelli first came
to the United States as an exchange student during high school,
then moved back to Brazil to complete his undergraduate degree.
Upon his return to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship,
he attended Michigan State University and earned his MBA and
PhD in business. He worked for several major global companies
for 30 years before returning to academia. As chancellor of UNCW
for the last three and a half years, he has fallen in love with
Wilmington and all it has to offer.
“I like the water, the ocean, but I also like mountains,” he says.
“If I had a chance, I would probably live on top of a mountain so
I could see 360 degrees.”
Sartarelli has visited almost every national park in the United States,
as well as some in
Australia and Brazil.
He is particularly fond
of mountain vistas.
He admires
advances in modern
FAVORITE THING
Travel and Reading
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technology that enable humans to travel in record time and view
landscapes from heights unattainable in the past.
“I was flying from Denver to Durango during my Christmas
vacation … and flew over the Rocky Mountains and it was just
gorgeous,” he explains. “Traveling for me is very special — it’s
educational, it’s fun.”
When traveling by air, Sartarelli prefers to sit by the window.
“So I can see the world,” he adds.
His favorite destinations include the American West, Europe,
Australia and Brazil. He has summited Mount Fuji and hopes
to hike Mount Kilimanjaro one day. Antarctica, Patagonia, Lake
Victoria, and the Liguria region of Italy rank high on his places-
to-visit list.
Sartarelli’s advice
for younger genera-tions
is to seek a bal-ance
between travel
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Excellence in leadership
and work, and stay
away from what he calls “artificial stimulation” in favor of exploring
the natural beauty of the world.
“The world is a lot prettier than all that stuff,” he says. “There’s
nothing more beautiful than a sunset when the skies go red and the
pastels ... it’s just gorgeous, like paintings. … I think young people
should do more of that. It’s a beautiful world out there, and on air-planes,
no one looks out the window. I mean, is there anything more
beautiful than flying through a cloud?”
He encourages young people, and all people, to remain curious
about the world and to look beyond their screens and devices.
“Give up on the device at least for a while and see the world, the
real world,” he says.
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