Mark Owens, President and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc., has been named to the committee that will search for the next chancellor of Winston-Salem State University. University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans and Winston-Salem State University Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Kelly announced the formation of the 13-member committee.

The search advisory committee is expected to begin meeting in early January 2024. The committee will identify high-quality candidates and make recommendations to the full Winston-Salem State Board of Trustees. The trustees will vote on a slate of candidates to send to Hans for consideration. Hans will then nominate a finalist to the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, which will elect a chancellor.

The next leader of WSSU will succeed Chancellor Elwood Robinson, who retired in June. Dr. Anthony Graham, WSSU provost, has been serving as the interim chancellor since July 1, 2023.

Under UNC policy, the search advisory committee is composed of up to 13 voting members, including representatives of the trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni. The policy also calls for a current or former chancellor of a UNC System constituent institution, the president and representatives of the UNC Board of Governors to serve on the committee.

The members of the committee are:

  • Kathleen Kelly, chair of the WSSU Board of Trustees and search advisory committee chair
  • Bill Miller (’83), vice chair of the WSSU Board of Trustees
  • Dr. Matthew Cullinan, member of the WSSU Board of Trustees
  • Dr. Pam Oliver, member of the WSSU Board of Trustees
  • Mark Holton, member of the UNC Board of Governors and Board of Governors chair’s designee
  • Phil Byers, member of the UNC Board of Governors and Board of Governors liaison to WSSU
  • Dr. Andrew Kelly, UNC System Office executive vice president and president’s designee
  • Dr. Harold Martin, chancellor of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
  • Dr. Lisa Maness, WSSU Faculty Senate chair and professor of clinical laboratory science
  • Sharon Hill, WSSU Staff Senate chair and human resources training specialist
  • Tyrone McNair, Jr., WSSU Student Government Association president, WSSU Board of Trustees member, and junior majoring in sports management from Charlotte, NC
  • Crystal Thompkins (’99), vice chair of the WSSU Foundation Board
  • Mark Owens, president and CEO of Greater Winston-Salem, Inc.

Because input from campus constituencies and community stakeholders is vital to the success of choosing WSSU’s next chancellor, opportunities for public input with be offered during the search process, including an online survey and on-campus listening forums held early in the spring semester. Representatives of alumni, faculty, staff, students, and other campus stakeholders will be able to engage directly with candidate finalists. The search advisory committee will work with C. Regina Cason (’90), president of the Winston-Salem State University National Alumni Association, to involve alumni during the search process, including finalists’ interviews. More information about the search process will be available in the near future on the WSSU website.