RALEIGH (February 27, 2025) – The UNC Board of Governors named Dr. Heather Norris, who has served as Appalachian State University’s Interim Chancellor since last April, as the university’s permanent Chancellor today.

Norris succeeds Sheri Everts, who resigned last year citing health issues after 10 years as the university’s chancellor. Appalachian State has grown dramatically, with more than 21,000 students at its campuses in Boone and Hickory – and one very strong football program.

“Appalachian State is one of the best-loved universities in the country,” UNC System President Peter Hans said. He added that the university needs a leader “who knows this university from top to bottom” and can embrace that enthusiasm and passion.

Norris came to App State as an assistant professor of finance in 2003. She rose to become dean of the Walker College of Business from 2016 to 2020, then provost and executive vice chancellor from 2021 to 2024.

During the difficult months after Hurricane Helene struck the North Carolina mountains last fall, Norris showed steady leadership to the entire community, Hans said.

“That calm approach to leadership is exactly what this moment demands,” he said.

Norris has spent most of her career in Appalachia. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison University and master’s and doctoral degrees in finance from Pennsylvania State University.

“I was first drawn to App State because of the university’s commitment to student success, which remains strong today,” she said. “In the 125th year of the university’s history, I’m excited and humbled to help create the next chapter of our history.”

Hans praised Norris’s experience in finance, saying she gives him confidence that she can soon launch “an overdue capital campaign for the university.”

System officials say Norris was chosen after a national search that involved more than 40 candidates. But her selection follows a pattern of the UNC System hiring from within.

Former Board of Governors member Darrell Allison became Chancellor at Fayetteville State University in 2021. In 2023, the BOG named Kimberly van Noort, the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the System Office, as Chancellor at UNC Asheville. And last year, former BOG member Lee Roberts was named Chancellor at UNC Chapel Hill.