Amy Herman to resign today

Amy Herman, UNC’s associate athletic director for compliance and a central figure in the University’s response to the 2010 NCAA investigation, will step down from her position today.

The magazine Inside Carolina first reported the news on Twitter on Thursday afternoon.

Steve Kirschner, a spokesman for the athletic department, confirmed the news to The Daily Tar Heel on Thursday.

“It’s not related to anything,” he said, referring to the ongoing repercussions of the 2010 NCAA investigation.

Herman released a short statement about her departure.

“I will just say that I have enjoyed serving the UNC community the past 12 years, and I am proud of all we have accomplished,” she wrote in an email.

Herman has been at the University for more than a decade. She got her start after participating in a post-graduate program.

Former athletic director Dick Baddour, who retired last year, promoted Herman to the post in January 2011. He told The (Raleigh) News & Observer at the time that he gave her the job based on her efforts during the investigation.

On Thursday, Baddour complimented her work at UNC.

“Amy is one of the most capable people I have worked with,” he said in an email.

“She is highly regarded in the department, on our campus and at the national level. She did extraordinary work during the NCAA investigation.”

Herman is the latest to leave the athletic department in the wake of sanctions handed down for rules violations in the football program.

Chancellor Holden Thorp, Baddour, former head football coach Butch Davis and former assistant football coach John Blake have all been fired or announced their resignations since the investigation concluded.

The probe found that several players accepted more than” $27,000 “:http://www.dailytarheel.com/article/2011/12/sanctions_yir_1207collectively in improper benefits, along with impermissible academic help.

UNC self-imposed athletic scholarship cuts, a $50,000 fine and a two-year probation before the final ruling, which levied a one-year postseason ban.

Some athletic department staff members said they will be sad to see Herman go.

Kathy Griggs, an administrative assistant in the athletic department, has worked with Herman since 2004.

Although the two didn’t work together often, Griggs said she did spend a short time assisting UNC’s compliance officers.

She said she remembers Herman canceling a vacation with her three children to assist with the University’s response to the NCAA, calling in the children’s grandparents to watch over them while she worked.

“She’s a very dedicated employee, and a lot of us around here will miss her,” she said.

“She will be hard to replace.”

Assistant University Editor Liz Crampton contributed reporting.

Contact the desk editor at university@dailytarheel.com.