
GRANTSBORO – Pamlico Community College’s Acting President Zac Schnell, who has served as the institution’s chief administrator since November, has been appointed to the college’s top job permanently. Acting on the recommendation of the college’s Board of Trustees, the State Board of Community Colleges made Schnell’s appointment official Friday at its meeting in Raleigh.
Schnell, a Wilmington native who has led the college’s Environmental Science Technology program since 2016, had been named acting president following the unexpected death of Interim President Michelle Willis Krauss Nov. 7. Krauss, the college’s vice president of instruction and chief academic officer, had been appointed interim president last year following the retirement of President Dr. Jim Ross, which was effective in February 2024.
Schnell, who lives in Arapahoe, said he looks forward to his new role with the college.
“I am excited to work with our team here to build on our accomplishments and to help lead the college forward,” he said. “Pamlico County is a wonderful place, and all of us at the college are dedicated to providing new opportunities for our community to grow together and thrive. I am eager to strengthen partnerships and to create new ones. I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Schnell, who turned 36 earlier this month, becomes one of the youngest people ever appointed to lead a community college in the United States. Bob Lyon, chairman of the college’s Board of Trustees, said he viewed the new president’s age as a positive, adding Schnell had worked at Pamlico for nearly a decade and knew a great deal about the area and its residents.
“He is young, energetic and extremely smart,” the chairman said. “He is going to lead the college in new directions and add to its program offerings. It’s an exciting time at Pamlico Community College.”
Schnell grew up in coastal North Carolina, developing an interest in the environment through boating, kayaking, hiking and scuba diving.
After graduating from Wilmington’s Eugene Ashley High School, he enrolled at N.C. State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Technology and Management. He went on to earn a master’s degree in Natural Resources from NCSU. Schnell spent two years in the Peace Corps, working on coastal resource management projects in the Philippines. Not content with exposure to only coastal environments, he also worked for a while at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Institute at Tremont. He joined the PCC faculty in 2016. During his tenure, he has been recognized for his work in the classroom and has been active on campus. Schnell was voted Pamlico’s ‘Instructor of the Year’ in 2020, and he has helped to lead multiple summer day camps for middle schoolers.
In 2018, Schnell organized a month-long trip to the Philippines, where he and four Environmental Science students worked with local authorities on environmental projects. Last July, he and program graduate Russell Williams traveled to Iowa to participate in a workshop organized by the Environment and Natural Resources Technology (EARTh) Institute at Central Carolina Community College.
In recent years, Schnell has expanded his teaching at PCC by leading OSHA and other safety courses at the college. He earned a master’s degree in Occupational Safety from East Carolina University in 2023, and he has helped organize and lead the statewide Association of Community College Safety and Security Officials (ACCSSO) group.
Most recently, Schnell has become a vocal proponent for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education. He has led presentations and trainings about AI at community colleges across the state and nation, and he was interviewed by local radio station Public Radio East (WTEB-FM) about the uses of AI in the classroom in April 2024.
Schnell said he wants to be accessible to the community, even if they only know him as “Magic Zac,” a nickname from being an amateur magician.
“Students know me from doing magic tricks and other engaging activities in the classroom,” he said. “I want to bring that spirit and a touch of magic to this new role.”