Former McCrory chief of staff named NC Community College System president

The board approved Stith on a unanimous vote. Although other candidates were discussed during the largely secret process, no one else was nominated during a quick morning meeting of the board, and there was no discussion before the vote.

In a post-vote press conference, Stith said he's excited about the job and that his first priority will be ensuring the state's 58 community colleges have financial sustainability. He said he'd already spoken to Gov. Roy Cooper and to key legislative leaders, including House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger.

Stith's ability to work with the General Assembly was seen as a particular strength. Any number of state entities may face budget cuts in the coming months as the state deals with the economic, and thus tax revenue, fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Board of Community Colleges Chairman Breeden Blackwell called Stith "a proven leader with a broad network of relationships."

Stith was McCrory’s chief of staff for four years. He’s also a former Durham City Council member, serving from 1999 to 2007. Since Septemer 2019, he's been the North Carolina district director for the SBA. Before that, he was a consultant in the private sector.

Bob Stephens, who headed the presidential search committee, also served in the McCrory administration, as the governor's general counsel. He said the search committee met many times, read a lot of resumes and took a lot of interim votes on candidates as the process played out. Stith, he said, was "at the top of every list."

Stith is a double graduate of North Carolina Central University, where he got a bachelor's degree in management and a master's in business administration.

Stith's official start date is Jan. 11, but he said Monday that he'd be "unofficially working today," starting with staff briefings on the system's budget and priorities for the coming legislative session, which starts next month.