Sharon L. Gaber

Sharon L. Gaber, Ph.D., serves as the fifth Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Charlotte region’s public research university. Driven by rising student and research success metrics, UNC Charlotte has reached new heights in national rankings and has been among the top 10 fastest-rising universities in the U.S. for the last six years. According to U.S. News & World Report, Charlotte currently ranks No. 74 among U.S. public universities and is the most innovative public university in North Carolina, at No. 38 nationally. Charlotte officially earned the nation’s top research designation, Carnegie R1, in February 2025. Gaber has been widely recognized for her leadership and innovation. She has been featured on both the Charlotte Business Journal (CBJ) and the Business North Carolina’s Power 100 Lists for multiple years, and she was named the 2025 CBJ Business Person of the Year. Also in 2025, she received the World Citizen Award from the Charlotte World Affairs Council, and the American Enterprise Institute named her one of the best college presidents of the century (#25 out of more than 400). Deeply engaged in community and regional activities, she serves on the board of Charlotte Center City Partners and is a member of the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council, Charlotte’s Leading on Opportunity Council, Women Executives, and the International Women’s Forum – Carolinas. At the national level, she serves on the board of the Coalition of Urban-Serving Universities and on the Executive Committee of the American Athletic Conference. A native of Southern California, Gaber earned an A.B. in Economics and Urban Studies from Occidental College, an M.P.L. in Urban Planning from the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. in City & Regional Planning from Cornell University. Prior to her arrival at UNC Charlotte, Gaber served for five years as president of the University of Toledo. Earlier in her career, she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Arkansas. She has also served as an administrator and interim provost at Auburn University and a faculty member and administrator at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Officially the first woman to serve as chancellor of UNC Charlotte, Gaber follows the trail blazed by founding educator Bonnie Cone, who led the institution from 1946-66 through several stages of growth.