About the Staff

Dr. Larry Blanton became Director of the UHP and Professor of Botany on July 1, 2003. He received a BS in Botany with Highest Honors and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow at UNC-CH, earning a PhD in Botany in 1981. An NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Georgia-Athens, a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow at the Culture Centre for Algae and Protozoa in Cambridge, England, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Texas-Austin, and a visiting research scientist in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, England, he joined the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University in 1988.

Dr. Blanton is married to Dr. Candace Haigler, who has also joined the faculty at NC State as a Professor of Crop Science and Botany. He enjoys music, reading, and travel, particularly to international destinations.

Now entering her seventh year of Honors program administration, Ms. Baker joined the UHP in Fall 2002. Born in Germany and growing up in and around Washington, DC, her interest in International Affairs came naturally, and after receiving her BA in that area of study from James Madison University, she worked for the International Student Exchange Program and the National Park Service Office of International Affairs.

Ms. Baker’s work with higher education began in 1994 when, after earning an MS in College Student Personnel Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she began work with Georgetown University’s Graduate Admissions Office. From 1997-2002 she worked with Virginia Tech’s Honors Program.

Not surprisingly, Ms. Baker enjoys travel, especially when she can combine it with her passion for outdoor pursuits–including hiking, backpacking, and kayaking–and cooking.

Originally from Clarksville, Tennessee, Ms. Walker lived in Germany; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and Fayetteville, North Carolina, before settling in Raleigh. A graduate of Austin Peay State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree, she is the most seasoned member of the UHP, having been with the program since its beginning in Fall 2000.

When not serving as ombudswoman for the UHP, Ms. Walker enjoys going to movies, cooking, and just hanging out with family and friends, especially her son, Daryl, who, she explains, is the center of her everything. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Ms. Walker is easy going, helpful, and fearless, except when confronted by intruders of the eight-legged variety!

A native of North Carolina, Ms. Robinson studied at Wake Tech and has been with NC State since 1988. She has held several positions in that time, and immediately before joining the UHP, she was Administrative Secretary for the Vice Provost for the Division of Undergraduate Affairs.

A wife and mother of two, Ms. Robinson makes taking care of her family a top priority when she’s not at work. She also enjoys her volunteer work with Meals on Wheels, and her hobbies include traveling, reading, singing, and relaxing with family and friends.

Ms. VanDreumel has been with NC State since May 1999, serving first as Receptionist for the Cooperative Education Office before joining the UHP in 2001.

A native mid-westerner, Ms. VanDreumel finally settled in North Carolina after having lived in several areas of the United States—from east coast to west—while her husband served on active duty with the US Navy. A mother of three, she volunteered with various high school bands, winter guards, and drum corps over the years and continues to do so