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The UNC Board of Governors elected Kevin Howell as the 15th chancellor of NC State Tuesday morning. The motion passed unanimously.
Howell is an NC State alum, where he served as the first Black student body president from 1987 to 1988 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1988. Howell will be the first Black chancellor and the third NC State graduate to lead the University.
He currently serves as the chief external affairs officer at UNC Health and an advisory board member for NC State’s Friday Institute for Educational Innovation.
“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 upkeep and uplift public education,” said UNC System President Peter Hans.
Howell will succeed Chancellor Randy Woodson after Woodson’s final day, June, 30, 2025. Woodson served as the chancellor for 14 years.
“The Wolfpack is ready to run in this new and formidable age, and I believe Kevin Howell is ready to lead them,” Hans said.
10:08 a.m., March 18 update:
NC State announced Howell’s first day on the job will be May 5, 2025. The University will host an event to celebrate the announcement in Talley Student Union at 3 p.m. Tuesday.