Thomas Stith III, the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration in North Carolina and a former top aide to then-Gov. Pat McCrory, was hired Monday to lead the state’s community college system.

The State Board of Community Colleges voted unanimously in an online meeting to choose Stith as the next president of the 58-campus system — which is one of the nation’s largest.

Stith succeeds Peter Hans, who was at the post for barely two years before he was named president of the University of North Carolina system in August. An interim has been in place while community college board members conducted a search.

Stith, who was previously chief of staff to the Republican governor and a Durham City Council member, has most recently been a Trump administration appointee as the SBA’s district officer for the state since September 2019. Stith’s work at the SBA has included getting financial assistance to businesses struggling to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stith said after the vote that his top priority will be to marshal the forces of the system office and campuses to help the state recover from COVID-19-related job losses and business closings. Community colleges often provide key workforce training incentives to companies and help students retool their careers through low-tuition classes.

“The system will led the effort to rebuild North Carolina’s economy,” Stith said.

Nearly 700,000 students take community college classes statewide. A majority of campus-based instruction occurred online during the fall, with some face-to-face classes for hands-on skills and clinical work such as nursing.

Stith, 57, graduated from North Carolina Central University and will be the system’s second Black president. Vic Hackley was the first in the mid-1990s.

The 21-member board who elected Stith is largely a mix of appointees by McCrory, current Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Republican legislative leaders. GOP State Treasurer Dale Folwell and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, or their designees, also are on the board. House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger praised Stith in a system release.

Board member Bob Stephens, who was general counsel for McCrory while governor, led the presidential search committee. Stephens said the panel received resumes from all over the country, but that Stith was “at the top of every list.”

Stith said he’s got a family history of business development and education. His parents started a two-year business school in Durham in the 1950s.

Stith “is a proven leader with a broad network of relationships in business, education and government in North Carolina,” system board Chair Breeden Blackwell said in the release. “He has the skills and talents to lead our great community college system at a critical time.”

Stith, who currently lives in Charlotte, officially begins work Jan. 11. His salary will be $275,000, according to the system office.

Photo via AP Photo/Gerry Broome.

Related Stories
‹
North Carolina Community College Head Aims To Fight Poverty
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON The incoming president of North Carolina’s community college system pledged Monday to work to advance people toward economic success through post-secondary education that will also meet employers’ needs for high-skilled labor. Jeff Cox, the current president of Wilkes Community College, spoke at an introductory news conference three days after the state […]
2 Years After Hurricane Helene, Where Does Relief Fall Short in North Carolina? – On Air Today (September 29, 2026)
Public Policy Analyst Alex Campbell joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell on Tuesday, September 29 shortly after the two-year mark of Hurricane Helene.
Trump Refers to Black Man From Racially Offensive 1988 Campaign Ad While Stumping in North Carolina
During a stop in North Carolina, Trump referenced one of the most controversial campaign advertisements that relied on racist tropes.
Postal Service Work To Comply With Trump’s Executive Order Is Rushed and Sloppy, a Whistleblower Contends
The U.S. Postal Service is poised to launch a hastily built, error-riddled computer system that could jeopardize the process of mail voting.
Longtime Chatham County Educator Wins $10 Million Lottery Prize
The North Carolina Education Lottery office revealed that Jean Johnson, who teaches in Chatham County, is the winner of a $10 million prize.
Theodore Nollert on North Carolina's Budget Corrections Bill and Its Process – On Air Today (August 26, 2026)
Theodore Nollert — the directory of policy for Carolina Forward and a Chapel Hill Town Council member — joins 97.9 The Hill's Brighton McConnell on Wednesday, August 26.
UNC Health Expands, Rebrands Venture Capital Efforts of Emerging Tech
The statewide healthcare system announced Rex Health Ventures platform is now UNC Health Ventures and will use $125 million to invest in emerging health tech companies.
Corporate Tax Cuts, Prediction Market Leeway, and Underfunding Education: Why Orange County's Legislators Voted Against NC's Budget
All three of Orange County’s state representatives voted against North Carolina's updated budget, citing issues with its contents and construction.
On the Porch: Dr. James Wood - Sports Around the World
This Week: James Wood is currently Professor of Latin American and modern world history at North Carolina A&T State University. He is the author of The Society of Equality: Popular Republicanism and Democracy in Santiago de Chile, 1818-1851 and the co-editor of "Problems in Modern Latin American History: Sources and Interpretations", now in its fifth edition with Rowman and Littlefield. As a Fulbright scholar for Chile in 2016 he was a visiting professor at the Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago (where he observed Chilean student activism up close).
On the Porch: Bill Brown - Art and Science Merge at NCMA
This Week: Bill Brown joined the North Carolina Museum of Art as a Conservation Intern in 1988. Thirty-two years later he retired from the Art Museum as Chief Conservator.  He received his M.A. and Certificate of Advanced Studies in Conservation from State University College at Buffalo, NY in 1989. At the Museum, he established the Art + Science Initiative, a collaborative program with Duke University math and science departments. Bill has a passion for Italian Old Master Paintings of the 14th to 18th century. He works part-time as a conservator in private practice and provides conservation support for the Museum and Gallery collection of old master paintings at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC . He enjoys retirement with his wife and young adult son.
›