Gregory, a former military officer, said his first foray into media was when he was interviewed as an alternate for the 1996 and 2000 Olympic pentathlon teams. When the time came to decide if he wanted to continue his military career with special operations or to be a public affairs officer, Gregory chose the latter.
“When I decided to get out (of the military), because I didn’t want to keep moving my family every two to three years, I applied here and (Vice Chancellor of Communications and Public Affairs) Joel Curran was putting together his team and determining what it would take and I was one of the people he brought on,” Gregory said.
Now, less than two years after Gregory arrived at UNC, he is stepping down. His last day will be Aug. 31. He said his history of quickly changing job titles in the military and some potential job opportunities led to his decision to leave the University.
“I’ve been in an environment for the past 22 years prior to coming to UNC where I changed jobs every 18 to 22 months so there’s a little, I think — at this point it just comes up where it’s like ‘What’s next? What do I want to do next?’” Gregory said.
Gregory said large projects during the past year made it an inconvenient time to leave his job. That changed when things settled down and the Office of Public Records got a new senior director, Gavin Young.
"(The amended Notice of Allegations) along with we had our (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) this summer, prior to that we had Student Stores going on, even since I’ve made the decision the budget has been out, the state budget ... there was just so much going on, the time was just never really great for me to put in two weeks notice,” he said.
Associate Vice Chancellor of Communications and Public Affairs Rick White said Gregory’s departure is part of the typical “ebb and flow” of an office.
“We’ve had folks retire, take other positions in the University that were promotions and, like Jim, decide to go elsewhere,” White said in an email. “As they leave, others have joined us to take their place.”
