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Thursday, February 13, 2025

UNC’s Project Kitty Hawk CEO departs

Wil Zemp, who was hired in 2022 to lead the UNC System’s Project Kitty Hawk education technology nonprofit, has departed the group to help focus on helping a family member with a serious medical condition.

Andrew Kelly, the system’s executive vice president, is the interim CEO. Project Kitty Hawk received $97 million in pandemic relief funding that is supposed to be spent by 2026.

It has a mission of helping UNC campuses expand online-degree programs for working adults, most of whom are now opting for programs offered by other, non-UNC institutions. That’s become a bigger focus at UNC because of declining enrollment at several campuses, including UNC Greensboro and UNC Asheville.

After considerable study, the system opted to create its own nonprofit rather than align with existing educational technology companies. Earlier this month, Appalachian State University signed an agreement with Project Kitty Hawk to start new online degree programs, joining East Carolina University and N.C. Central University with similar partnerships.

“Wil Zemp built Project Kitty Hawk from literal thin air, and we will be forever grateful for what he’s done to put PKH on a path to success,” according to an April 19 letter from UNC System Board Chair Randy Ramsey and system President Peter Hans. “Andrew will work closely with COO David Eby and CFO Rae Williams to keep up the strong momentum built by Wil. The UNC System and the Board of Directors are as optimistic about PKH’s future as we’ve ever been.”

Hans and Ramsey said that Project Kitty Hawk’s 50-member staff is taking on “one of the world’s toughest problems.” They noted that more than 1,200 re-enrolled in online programs, three campuses have formed partnerships and Project Kitty Hawk employees include “some of the top talent in the country on innovation and adult learners.”

Zemp’s departure was first reported by The Assembly. It noted that Project Kitty Hawk now projects enrollment of 14,800 by 2028, compared with an original goal of 30,800.

Annual revenue is expected to reach $78 million in 2028, versus early projections of about $128 million. The UNC System recently received $7.8 million from Congress for upgrading technology used by campuses to improve access for adult learners.

Before joining Project Kitty Hawk, Zemp was a senior executive at Southern New Hampshire University, the largest nonprofit provider of higher education in the U.S. with more than 225,000 learners. While it has a 300-acre campus in Manchester, New Hampshire, SNHU is mainly focused on online education.

David Mildenberg
David Mildenberg
David Mildenberg is editor of Business North Carolina. Reach him at dmildenberg@businessnc.com.

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