"Not only does the future belong to North Carolina, but this institution is central to that future," said Roberts. "In order for North Carolina to fulfill its destiny, this university needs to play an integral role."
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Roberts took over as interim chancellor last Friday after former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz accepted the position of president at Michigan State University.
Unlike Guskiewicz, who had spent more than two decades at UNC before being named chancellor, Roberts' background is more of a mix of public and private sector roles.
He is the founder and managing partner of a Raleigh-based private investment firm and is also a member of the UNC System Board of Governors and chair of its budget committee.
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For the past five years, Roberts also taught budgeting at Duke University.
ABC11 spoke with former Gov. Pat McCrory, whom Roberts served under as budget director, about the announcement in December.
Roberts served as a budget director under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. He was then appointed by a GOP-led General Assembly to serve as a member of the UNC System Board of Governors.
"Lee Roberts is a brilliant professional who's ethical, apolitical, and I think visionary," McCrory said. "And maybe his greatest skill, he's a great listener. He knows the university system. In fact, Lee Roberts was really the mastermind behind the university bonds as my Budget Director which passed by over 70% of the vote, which helped build the UNC Medical School."