Charlotte Museum of History President Named Vice Chancellor at UNC Asheville

Bill Massey

William P. Massey, Charlotte Museum of History president and C.E.O., has been named Vice Chancellor for Development at the University of North Carolina Asheville. The appointment was made by the UNCA Board of Trustees on Wednesday, upon recommendation by UNCA Chancellor James H. Mullen Jr. and pending the approval of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

"Bill Massey's experienced leadership, brilliant communication skills and proven ability to make friends for the university and to secure resources will allow us to sustain and build from the support we have had in Asheville, as we reach out to the state and nation," said Chancellor Mullen. "We are very pleased to welcome to the university community someone of his extraordinary talent and commitment to the liberal arts. He is a powerful addition to a very strong senior team." 

Massey has held a number of senior fund-raising, leadership and marketing positions in a career that has taken him to New York and brought him back to his roots in North Carolina. 

Prior to joining the Charlotte Museum of History, Massey was president of the National Charities Information Bureau (NCIB), the leading independent source of information about America's charities, headquartered in New York. Previously, he served as executive director of the Kathleen Price Bryan Family Fund in Greensboro and as senior vice president for Ruder Finn Public Relations, an international public relations/communications firm. Early in his career he was the associate vice chancellor for University Relations at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University. Massey serves on the boards of several community and arts organizations, including the Penland School of Crafts, the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits in Raleigh, and the Roanoke Island Commission in Manteo.

Massey said he welcomes his return to higher education and the opportunities at 
UNC Asheville. 

"I believe very strongly that North Carolina's public university system is the single most important institution in our state's history - past, present or future. The opportunity to use one's talents for the university system, to me, is a privilege. I am deeply impressed with the mission of UNC Asheville as North Carolina's undergraduate liberal arts university. I believe the university is serving its mission; you might say that it lives its values," Massey said. "I am very struck and deeply impressed with the leadership of Chancellor Mullen and the top-notch senior administrative team he has assembled at the university."

Pending approval by the UNC Board of Governors, Massey will join UNCA in early October. Massey replaces former UNCA Vice Chancellor Beverly Modlin, who is now a fund-raising and strategic planning consultant for universities and non-profit organizations. 

Media Contact:

• Merianne Epstein, UNCA Public Information Director, 828/251-6676 (office); 828/257-5501 (pager)