Alumni Profile: Dr. Lanny Hass

In Lanny Hass's day, playing tennis didn't always come easy. Hass '79 grew up on a

farm in Statesville, NC. His high school didn't have a tennis team, but he was a top North

Carolina pole-vaulter. At the age of 18, he decided to pick up tennis, so that he could play

a sport in college. He then began to practice hard to achieve his potential.

“After farm work I would ride my bike to downtown and play from 5 until the lights went

out every night,” he said. “I had a lot of catching up to do.”

In a time when many North Carolina players gained national acclaim, including the

famed NCAA final match between NC State player John Sadri and John McEnroe,

Haas's hard work paid off, slowly moving him up in North Carolina and Southern

regional rankings. After playing for Mitchell Community College in his freshman year,

he transferred to UNC Asheville in 1976, where he played under Dr. Harry Johnson.

When Johnson passed away in an accident, Coach Ed Harris took over.

Hass achieved success at UNC Asheville. In his senior year, he won over half of the

tennis team's set matches. He also built bonds with his teammates.

“Some of my favorite memories were gathering outside Governor's Village in the Fall

and Spring, developing friendships that have lasted all my life,” he said. “I have stayed in

touch with many of those people over the years.”

During his time at UNC Asheville, Haas discovered a passion for economics. He worked

with former Professor Shirley Browning, who focused on agricultural economics. Upon

graduating in 1979, Haas received a M.S. in agricultural economics and a Ph.D. in

organizational psychology. He worked on educational programs for agriculture in West

Virginia and here, at the Mountain Horticultural Crop Research Station in Mills River.

Hass now runs Chrysaleye Consulting, a firm that helps clients all over the world with

executive development. Hass credits UNC Asheville as the spark that led him to his

diverse and fulfilling career.

“I think back on UNC Asheville's humanities theme and how it directed me to further my

education toward graduate school,” he said. “I am living the dream, much of which was

manifested in the carrels of Ramsey Library, the Governors Village get-togethers and

long rides home [from tennis matches], studying in those old state vans.”

Hass encourages current UNC Asheville student-athletes to take stock of the excellent

opportunities they have been given.

“UNC Asheville is a place that will challenge you, make you grow, allow for a

'community' to form, which will turn into family,” Hass said. “Unless you try to do

something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.”

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