This July, Wilmington attorney Haywood “Woody” White will be sworn in as a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. He was appointed to the post by the N.C. Senate and will replace fellow Wilmington attorney Thomas Goolsby, whose term ends in June.

“I look forward to serving the people of North Carolina and the students who attend the best university system in the nation,” White said in a news release. “Our universities face significant challenges in delivering on the promise of a well-rounded educational experience that is affordable to the average person, and that respects all points of view. I am humbled that Senate leadership asked me to help meet this challenge and am ready to work towards these goals with Chairman Randy Ramsey, Vice Chairwoman Wendy Murphy and the other outstanding members of this governing board.”

The 24-member UNC Board of Governors oversees the operations, public policy and budgets of the 17 constituent university campuses across the state, as well as the N.C. School of Science and Math. Combined, these campuses boast an enrollment of more than 244,000+ undergraduate and graduate students. The board meets monthly.

White, a native of North Carolina, is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law and has been admitted to the bars of every North Carolina Court, the Federal District Court, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, and the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., according to his resume.

He is a three-time award winner in Criminal Law by Business North Carolina Magazine, which recognized him among its Legal Elite in 2007, 2010 and 2021. The selections are a result of voting by peers. He also holds the highest rating of AV from Martindale-Hubbel Lawyer Rating Services and has been recognized as a Thomson Reuters Super Lawyer seven times: in 2012 and in 2017-2022.

White’s public service includes two four-year terms on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, to which he was elected in 2012 and again in 2016. He served in the N.C. Senate as well as on local boards. including those of New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Coastal Horizons Treatment Center and Lower Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity.