CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — A leader among the North Carolina Senate Republicans who resigned this week from the General Assembly is the next chief attorney for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

University Chancellor Lee Roberts announced on Thursday the hiring of outgoing Senate Majority Leader Paul Newton as general counsel and vice chancellor at the UNC system’s flagship campus.

Newton revealed in a Tuesday news release his decision to step down from the Senate effective Wednesday “to pursue an opportunity outside of state government” that wasn’t immediately made public. During his farewell speech Wednesday on the Senate floor, Newton said he learned about a job opening several weeks ago and was offered it only on Monday.

Newton, who received undergraduate and law degrees at UNC-Chapel Hill, is a retired Duke Energy employee and executive who joined the Senate in 2017 and became majority leader after the 2022 elections. He said he is also the father of four UNC-Chapel Hill graduates.

Roberts said Newton, who begins the job April 21, “brings exceptional skills and deep experience in law, business and government to our University” and “is passionate about returning to his alma mater and contributing to our success.”

Republicans in Newton’s Cabarrus County Senate district will pick someone to fill his seat through the end of 2026. Senate Republicans also will meet to pick a new majority leader, which is considered a chief lieutenant to the chamber’s top leader, GOP Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger.