Lee Roberts (finance executive)

Lee Harriss Roberts (born 1968) is an American finance executive who has served as interim chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill since January 12, 2024.

Roberts was born to journalists Steven and Cokie Roberts, 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.

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.

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.

Since 2019, Roberts has served on the corporate board of Variety Wholesalers, a retail-store company owned by Art Pope, a prominent conservative donor.

From 2021 to 2024, he served as a member of the UNC board of governors and chair of the budget committee.

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 steming from a "family tradition of public service" and his deep commitment to North Carolina, which he first moved to at age 17.

There has been pushback from students following his appointment.

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.

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.

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.

In early April 2024 a student group formed in opposition to Roberts' chancellorship, TransparUNCy, held a teach-in on the connections between Roberts and Pope, as well as the history of UNC System governance.

Nearly 75 students attended, prompting TransparUNCy to run the teach in again.

At the TransparUNCy Teach-in: Part 2, 130 students attended and Roberts made an impromptu appearance where he reaffirmed his commitment to nonpartisanship to the crowd.

Roberts also expressed a broad support for diversity but refrained from taking a definitive stance on the university trustees' anti-DEI comments and similar legislative efforts in Florida and Alabama.

His stated lack of knowledge about Florida and Alabama DEI legislation drew criticism from student organizers, who believe that lack knowledge of national higher education debates makes him unsuitable for the chancellorship.