Written by Tabitha Groelle.
If you have read the press release or other university communication, you already know that our new associate vice chancellor for finance and university treasurer, Dana Harris was at UNC Wilmington for 18 years. Before that, she was with the North Carolina State Auditor’s Office. AVC Harris and her family have deep ties to NC State. Her husband and all three of their children are NC State alumni.
I took some time to chat and get to know AVC Harris a little better:
Tabitha: I think in order to get to know you, we need to go back to the beginning. What did you want to be when you grew up?
“When I was young, I wanted to be a nurse. When I was in high school, I decided I wanted to be an accountant.”
Tabitha: What was your first job?
AVC Harris: I was a lifeguard at a lake.
Tabitha: What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
AVC Harris: I jumped off a gorge in Zimbabwe.
Tabitha: Do you have any pets?
AVC Harris: Not anymore. We had a large black goldendoodle dog when the kids were growing up.
Tabitha: What’s your “escape from reality” activity?
AVC Harris: Reading.
Tabitha: Where is your favorite place you have visited/traveled to?
AVC Harris: I have two places. The first is Breckenridge, Colorado. We had a lot of family vacations there. Looking back, it was really fun experiencing how the trip changed each year as the kids grew up. The second place is the most impactful: my mission trips to Malawi. My church had a partnership with a small village, and over the course of several years that I was involved, we were able to build a local school that would allow girls to attend in a safe environment.
Tabitha: We should probably wrap this up by asking you a couple of questions about your new job. What drew you to NC State?
“NC State was the only school outside UNC-Wilmington that I was interested in working for. I was surprised when the position opened up and my husband and I were really excited about the potential opportunity.”
Tabitha: You’ve been here about six weeks. What’s been your biggest learning curve?
AVC Harris: The number of acronyms that are used on this campus!
Tabitha: How do you feel about joining the Pack?
“I couldn’t be more thrilled. Not only have the members of our Finance teams been very welcoming, but the folks that I have been able to meet so far have given me great insight into what they do to support the mission of NC State. I’m looking forward to learning more and meeting those that I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting. It really is a great group of people.”
Tabitha: Thanks for chatting, and welcome to NC State.