After 14-plus years of service to NC State University, Chancellor Randy Woodson is retiring. For his final episode of Red Chair Chats, we’re turning the tables — and this time, Chancellor Woodson is answering the questions. Four people who have been integral to his NC State career step in as guest hosts for this extended episode.

Filmed in front of a live audience of NC State alumni, Chancellor Randy Woodson visits the Bay Area for a conversation with Jeff Williams. An NC State engineering alum, Williams has been the chief operating officer for Apple since 2015. Williams shares some campus memories and gives insight into the making of the Apple Watch in this episode of Red Chair Chats.

Rodolphe Barrangou, Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences at NC State University, joins Chancellor Woodson in the Plant Sciences Building for this episode of Red Chair Chats. A pioneer in the discovery of the adaptive bacterial immune system known as CRISPR, Barrangou was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2023. In their conversation, Barrangou discusses CRISPR applications ranging from correcting genetic diseases to changing the fiber content in trees.

As the director of animal health at the North Carolina Zoo, no two days are the same in Dr. Jb Minter’s world. The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine alumnus oversees the care of 250 different species among the 1,700 animals at the zoo, the largest natural habitat zoo in the world. Chancellor Woodson takes the red chairs and his family on the road to visit the zoo in Asheboro for this episode of Red Chair Chats.

NASA astronaut and three-time NC State graduate Christina Koch joins Chancellor Woodson for the first live episode of Red Chair Chats, filmed at NC State’s Stewart Theatre as part of Red and White Week 2023. In their conversation, Koch shares a glimpse into her 328-day stay on the International Space Station and discusses why she chose NC State for her undergraduate and graduate career. Koch holds the record for the longest continuous space flight for a woman and participated in the first all-female spacewalk. She is one of four members of NASA’s Artemis II mission, slated to orbit the moon in fall 2024.

Read more about Christina Koch’s visit to campus: https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/10/do-what-scares-you-says-astronaut-alumna/ 

In episode 7 of Red Chair Chats, Chancellor Randy Woodson is joined by Laurie Henes, head coach of women’s cross country and men’s and women’s track and field. As a student-athlete, she won two ACC championships in cross country and an NCAA championship in track and field for the Wolfpack. Now, she’s one of the winningest coaches in NC State history, with eight championships with women’s cross country and back-to-back NCAA team titles. Chancellor Woodson visited Coach Henes in her home to discuss her success at NC State.

In episode 6 of Red Chair Chats, Chancellor Randy Woodson is joined by NC State alumni Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans to discuss their company, 321 Coffee. Founded during their time at NC State, 321 Coffee is on a mission to provide meaningful employment to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We visited Lindsay and Michael in their downtown Raleigh shop to learn more about how they Think and Do.

Read more about 321 Coffee and its partnership with NC State: https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/03/nc-state-announces-321-coffee-partnership/

In episode 5 of Red Chair Chats, Chancellor Randy Woodson sits down at Raleigh’s historic Chavis Park with distinguished professor of landscape architecture Kofi Boone. During his 20 years with the NC State College of Design, Boone has worked to bridge the discipline of landscape architecture with social and environmental justice — and was recently awarded the Jot D. Carpenter Teaching Medal from the American Society of Landscape Architects.

In episode 4 of Red Chair Chats, Chancellor Randy Woodson sits down with NC State alumna Leigh-Kathryn Bonner. A 2015 graduate of the NC State International Studies program, Bonner has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 social entrepreneur for her work as founder and CEO of Bee Downtown. The company sets up hives on corporate campuses to teach about the importance of healthy honeybee populations and, as she puts it, bring a little bit of the magic of agriculture back into cities.

Singer-songwriter BJ Barham, NC State alumnus and frontman of American Aquarium, joins Chancellor Woodson for the third episode of Red Chair Chats. Tune in as they discuss Wolfpack football, classic guitars and what's next for the band. Plus, head to the NC State YouTube channel to watch their jam session at The Point.