| Office: | 13th Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Term Start: | January 12, 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Kevin Guskiewicz |
| Birth Name: | Lee Harriss Roberts |
| Education: | Duke University (BS) Georgetown University (JD) |
Lee Harriss Roberts[1] (born 1968) is an American finance executive who serves as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Roberts was born to journalists Steven and Cokie Roberts. His mother was the daughter of Hale and Lindy Boggs. He grew up in Washington, D.C., and received a bachelor's degree in political science from Duke University and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University.[2]
Roberts spent 30 years working in finance and real estate investment. He was a partner at Cherokee Investment Partners and spent nine years with Morgan Stanley. He then became managing director of Piedmont Community Bank Holdings.[3] From 2014 to 2016, he was the budget director for North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory. He then founded SharpVue Capital, a private investment firm in Raleigh. For the five years before 2024, he taught budgeting at Duke University.[4]
Since 2019, Roberts has served on the corporate board of Variety Wholesalers, a retail-store company owned by Art Pope, a prominent conservative donor.[5]
From 2021 to 2024, he served as a member of the UNC board of governors and chair of the budget committee.[6]
On December 15, 2023, it was announced that Roberts would succeed Kevin Guskiewicz as the interim chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. He's described his motivation as stemming from a "family tradition of public service" and his deep commitment to North Carolina, which he first moved to at age 17.
On January 12, 2024, a coalition of student groups published an op-ed in the university's newspaper titled "UNC deserves better, Lee Roberts ain't it," highlighting Roberts' lack of experience in educational administration and actions during his tenure as state budget director that were perceived as contrary to the interests of higher education and inclusivity.[7] A month later, another op-ed was published by five UNC students titled "'Nonpartisan' Lee Roberts receives income from far-right megadonor’s company" highlighting a conflict between his claimed commitment nonpartisanship and his financial ties to conservative donor Art Pope.[8] Following this publication, Roberts stated in an interview that he would not be taking income from his board position on Art Pope's company Variety Wholesalers during his time as interim chancellor, and that serving on a corporate board has no bearing on his nonpartisanship.
On 9 August 2024, the UNC System Board of Governors appointed Roberts' as chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill after serving only 7 months as interim chancellor with no prior higher-education experience. He is the first chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill in modern history to serve without a PhD or a career in higher education.[9] The selection process for Roberts' appointment faced significant criticism from the student body.