RALEIGH (March 18, 2025) – Kevin Howell has been the “first” any number of times.
But mainly, he is simply been a good, good person. To Howell, everyone is “my friend.”
The UNC Board of Governors yesterday elected Howell – with his familiar face and smile – as the 15th Chancellor of NC State University, the UNC System’s largest institution. He will succeed Randy Woodson, who will retire June 30 after 15 years as Chancellor.
“Kevin Howell is a born leader with a long record of service to North Carolina, the UNC System and NC State University,” said System President Peter Hans.
“His deep relationships across the state have helped drive investment and growth. I am confident he will strengthen NC State’s role as a frontier research university, keeping North Carolina competitive in the most important fields of our future.”
Howell grew up in Shelby and graduated from NC State with a degree in political science. He was elected the university’s first Black student body president – one of those “firsts” – in 1987. He earned his law degree at UNC-Chapel Hill.
He is currently the external affairs officer at UNC Health.
After working as a legislative liaison for former Govs. Jim Hunt and Mike Easley, though, his career has been deeply intertwined with NC State, where he has served in a variety of administrative and external affairs roles for nearly 20 years.
Working with the General Assembly as the university’s legislative liaison, he has helped bring NC State hundreds of millions of dollars in new Engineering and Plant Science buildings, as well as money to expand its engineering programs.
He also served as senior vice president for external affairs at the UNC System Office from 2016-18.
“This university shaped my life in profound and generous ways, and I am honored for the chance to lead my alma mater,” Howell said.
“NC State is a brilliant and inspiring place, just like the state we serve. There are exciting days ahead for the Pack, and I’m ready to make a difference.”
Hans was effusive in his praise.
“NC State needs a leader who understands that this university’s greatest innovation is the melding of practical wisdom and academic expertise in the service of public good. I am proud that we have just such a leader, a person who not only believes in the transformational power of this great university, but also has lived it,” he said.
“Kevin is the personification of what makes NC State an extraordinary institution, the kind of place where a talented young man from Cleveland County can find a home, break ground as the first-ever Black student body president, and then choose to devote his life to the upkeep and uplift of public education.”
The world is on the cusp of big changes in how we work, learn and make discoveries, Hans said.
“The Wolfpack is ready to run in this new and formidable age, and I believe Kevin Howell is ready to lead them,” he said.
“To me, he represents a blend of continuity and change. Continuity with the progress that’s already in motion, and the change that’s necessary to go to another level.”
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