NEWS

Local angles: Charlotte, Greensboro, Rocky Mount, Scotland Neck

Photo note: To download photos, see the end of the release

CHAPEL HILL – Richard T. "Stick" Williams of Charlotte, a long-time university advocate and vice president of diversity, ethics and compliance for Duke Energy Co., has been elected chairman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.

Trustees today (July 24) elected new officers to one-year terms on the 13-member board responsible for governing the university.

Also elected as vice chairman was Nelson Schwab III of Charlotte, managing director of Carousel Capital. Re-elected as secretary was Jean Almand Kitchin of Scotland Neck, president and chief executive officer of Almand’s Drug Stores in Rocky Mount.

Williams joined the UNC board in 1999, and his current term continues until 2007. He said his goals as chairman will focus on guiding the board’s activities in support of the university’s long-term aspirations for excellence in teaching, research and public service to the people of North Carolina and beyond.

"I know from my own personal experiences why Carolina is such a special public university," Williams said. "The Board of Trustees and the university community continue to reflect upon the qualities that distinguish Carolina as a leader in American public higher education as well as a tremendous asset for North Carolina. We all want to aggressively protect and enhance those distinguishing characteristics, to the benefit of our students and the public.

"I want to help drive, along with my board colleagues, successful results for this important work," he said. "Key areas of continued focus include the measures of excellence, the academic plan, honor and integrity, the undergraduate experience, world-class research and the campus master plan.

"Our common goal needs to be continuing to make Carolina as good as it can be," Williams said. "That is how we can best serve the people of North Carolina. Even with the challenges brought by the state’s financial crisis, this is an exciting time to serve Carolina."

A native of Greensboro, Williams graduated from Carolina with a bachelor of science degree in 1975. He has devoted himself over the past several years to a wide range of causes at Carolina, serving as chair of the UNC Board of Visitors, which advises the chancellor and trustees on university issues, as well as chair of the General Alumni Association Board of Directors. A board member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Foundation, he has served on the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on the Black Cultural Center and the search committee that recommended James Moeser as chancellor.

The former long-time Chapel Hill resident is well known for community volunteer service and ongoing work on town-gown issues including serving on a mayor-chancellor panel formed in 2000 that successfully developed a process leading to the town’s approval of the university’s development plan. Most recently, Williams joined another joint town-university committee examining issues related to proposed modifications of the university’ development plan. He also serves as a trustee of Brevard College.

Schwab joined the UNC board in 2001 for a term ending in 2005. He graduated from Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in 1967. His volunteer activities at UNC have included serving on the Board of Visitors, the Kenan-Flagler Business School’s Board of Visitors and the Carolina First Campaign Steering Committee.

He is a director for corporations including Burlington Industries, Summit Properties Inc. and Herschend Family Entertainment Corp. Schwab is past chair of the N.C. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce and the North Carolina Outward Bound School.

Kitchin was elected a UNC trustee in 1999; her term ends in 2007. She graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors while earning bachelor’s degree in education from Carolina in 1970. Her campus involvement has included service on the Board of Visitors and as the General Alumni Association’s first vice chair of the Board of Directors and as a district director.

She is public affairs director of WRPX-TV and affiliated stations across the state and the former co-producer and host of "Tar Heel Chefs," which aired on UNC-TV. She is the former chair of the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education.

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Photo URLs: To download photos of Williams, Schwab and Kitchin, go to the following URLs:

http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/trustees/williams_richard.jpg, http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/trustees/schwab_nelson.jpg,
http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/trustees/kitchin_jean.jpg

Contact: Mike McFarland, (919) 962-8593, mike_mcfarland@unc.edu