CHAPEL HILL – Randy Ramsey openly acknowledges there’s been strife on the UNC Board of Governors.
But the Chair of the 24-person board says every member wants what’s best for the state and its 17-campus university system. And the current Chair plans to run the board in a calm manner.
“Every single person in this room has got a singular goal – and that’s to improve the state of North Carolina and improve the education system here,” Ramsey says in the accompanying video.
Ramsey, who was appointed to the Board of Governors in 2017, became Chair in October 2019 after the abrupt resignation of former Chair Harry Smith.1
A native of Kinston, Ramsey lives in Beaufort. He is the founder and president of Jarrett Bay Boatworks, which specializes in construction of custom sport fishing boats up to 90 feet long. He has been active with N.C. State University, where he served on the university’s Board of Trustees.2
Despite turnover among leaders across the UNC System, Ramsey says Board of Governors members want what’s right for the North Carolina’s public universities.
“We’re all dedicated to the University. We all want what is best. It’s been clearly documented that we don’t always get along,” he says with a slight grin.
“But that’s OK. In your family that’s not always the case either – sometimes we don’t get along very well around the kitchen table.”
As for his own leadership style, Ramsey does not project flamboyance.
“From my perspective – me personally – I think what you can look for is, I hope, a very calm delivery in the way we do things,” he says.
“I like to be very direct in how we operate as a board. And we hope to be very transparent with the people of North Carolina as to how we plan to operate.”
1https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article235431552.html.
2https://www.northcarolina.edu/apps/campus_profiles/member.php?id=8377.
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