Former RBC Centura CEO endows UNC Kenan-Flagler faculty fund
Kel Landis
Having risen through the ranks of the banking world to
become CEO of RBC Centura, H. Kel Landis III knows a little
about what it takes to succeed in business.
With BSBA (’79) and MBA (’82) degrees from
UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, Landis credits
much of his success to the outstanding professors he had as
a student. “My professors were attentive, great
people,” he said. “I am proud to be a part of
one of the most respected business schools in the
country.”
But having served on UNC Kenan-Flagler’s Board of
Visitors, Landis also knows how difficult it is to get and
keep the best professors. While the business school’s
current roster of faculty is outstanding, many of the top
faculty members are paid significantly less than their
peers at comparable schools.
Landis aims to help change that. Because he had such a
great experience at UNC Kenan-Flagler and wants to ensure
that future students continue to benefit from the best
professors, he has endowed the H. Kel Landis III Faculty
Fund in Kenan-Flagler Business School. The fund will be
used to support outstanding junior and senior faculty for
professional development, including travel, conferences,
research assistance, equipment, library resources and
summer stipends.
This is not the first fund Landis has established in the
business school. In 2002 he created the H. Kel Landis III
BSBA Study Abroad Fund.
Although Landis has stepped down as CEO of RBC Centura, he
is still very much a part of the business world—just
giving the entrepreneurial side a try. He is currently a
partner with Plexus Capital, a financial services firm,
which provides growth capital to small businesses through
investments in subordinated debt and equity securities.
“Interestingly,” Landis said, “four out
of five of our partners are Carolina graduates and three
have MBAs from UNC Kenan-Flagler.”
In January 2005, Landis was appointed by Gov. Mike Easley
to serve as a Senior Advisor for Business/Economic Affairs.
Landis assisted Easley in business development and
recruitment for the state, serving as liaison between the
governor and the business community. Of Landis, Easley
said, “Kel has over two decades of business
experience that make his advice invaluable on strategies to
continue to improve our business climate and ensure that
North Carolina continues to succeed in the
marketplace.”