Andy Willis is the kind of guy who’s used to talking.

Members of the N.C. General Assembly. Trustees. Alumni. Students.

For the last three and a half years, he’s talked to all of them. After all, as the executive officer charged with representing the University to the legislature, talking was his job.

That might be why Willis said there’s one thing he hasn’t quite gotten used to about his new office wing in the UNC General Administration Building in Chapel Hill, where he now serves in his new role as vice president for government relations for the UNC System.

It’s the silence.

“[Holladay Hall] was always hopping,” he said with a laugh.

Willis said he’s beginning to settle into his new position after leaving N.C. State as assistant to the chancellor for external operations Sept. 15.

Although the job might be a little more broad than his one at NCSU, helping to craft the legislative agenda for the entire UNC System and sell it to legislators, Willis said he’s still doing quite a bit of talking.

“It’s been one week on the job and I’ve already been to the legislative building three times this week,” Willis said.

But visiting with the General Assembly isn’t a new thing for Willis.

In the most recent legislative session this summer, Willis helped secure the complete funding of the $61 million Engineering Building III Complex from the General Assembly. He also worked to get $3.7 million for an equity pool to address salary deficiencies for N.C. State’s Cooperative Extension faculty in 2005, who were left out of salary increases.

Although Willis insisted he was “just a peon,” in securing this funding, he may have been more involved than he’s ready to admit, albeit indirectly.

When he began his work in January 2003, he said he started immediately getting as many groups as possible — trustees, alumni and Raleigh politicians alike — to advocate for NCSU with state lawmakers. Looking back, he said one of the things he’s most proud of is that “the whole culture has changed.”

“I helped get more people involved with the legislative process,” Willis said. “I had the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce down there asking for the engineering building.”

He said even after a personal phone call from UNC-System President Erskine Bowles, the decision to leave NCSU was one he “had to wrestle with.” After talking it over with his family however, Willis said the move was the right one to make for his career.

His hope, he said, is that he can now help NCSU in a different way.

“I’m not going to take N.C. State out of my heart,” Willis said. “I promised the chancellor I’m always working for him.”

Chancellor James L. Oblinger, has not officially hired a replacement for the vacant post, Keith Nichols, director of N.C. State News Services, said Thursday.

However, News Services did send out a press release via e-mail Wednesday morning announcing that Oblinger had named Kevin Howell, legislative council to Gov. Mike Easley, as the new assistant to the chancellor for external affairs.

Nichols said he “got word through the chancellor” that the details of the appointment had not been worked out after his office had sent the release.

“We had a press release ready that we thought was a done deal,” Nichols said. “Then we were told to hold off.”

He said he wasn’t sure why the hiring process had been delayed and said he had expected to receive more details on the situation Thursday, but had not. Nichols also said he didn’t know how many people had received the press release.

“All I know is that he hasn’t agreed to come to work for us yet,” Nichols said.

Howell could not be reached for comment Thursday.

His name still appeared on the staff list of the Governor’s Office Web site Thursday night.

Nichols said at this point, Howell “may not be hired,” and “it would not be appropriate to report on Kevin Howell at this point.”

It’s normal for News Services to prepare a press release prior to official appointment, although it isn’t normally sent until then, according to Nichols.

“If we believe we have an agreement to hire someone, it’s standard operating procedure to make the preparations to make the announcement,” Nichols said.

Staff from the office of the chancellor could not be reached for comment.