But Lynn Blanchard, a Raleigh native and UNC graduate who has been approved by Chancellor James Moeser as the new director of the Carolina Center for Public Service, said she looks forward to giving back to the community in which she was raised.
"I'm actually thrilled to be coming back to UNC and North Carolina," said Blanchard, who is currently vice chairwoman of community initiatives at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, Pa. She will begin work here Jan. 7.
She graduated from East Carolina University before receiving a master's and a doctorate from UNC's School of Public Health. Blanchard, who was a teacher in Wake County before obtaining her master's degree, said she enjoys her work at Lehigh but misses the energy and enthusiasm of working with students. "Education really ties things together for me," she said.
Blanchard said she was actively involved in community service when she was a student at UNC, working mainly with the Family Support Network, a group within the School of Medicine that provides aid to families with disabled or sick children.
"Public service has been a part of my life since I was very young," she said.
Blanchard said she hopes to "build a community to promote UNC as a national model of community service."
Associate Provost Stephen Allred headed the search committee to fill the CCPS director position, which was vacated by Nick Didow this summer.
Allred said each of the three final candidates were qualified, but Blanchard had a number of qualities that set her apart. "She is, for better or worse, a North Carolina native, so there's not much of a learning curve on what North Carolina needs," Allred said.
Allred said that in addition to bringing stability and long-range vision to the center, Blanchard will be committed to making the center more visible both across the state and on campus.