A Lawrence native with experience in business, government and nonprofit work will lead Kansas University’s public relations and lobbying efforts, KU officials announced Wednesday.

And Paul Carttar, who will become executive vice chancellor for external affairs, said he had his work cut out for him.

“What I hear in terms of people’s perceptions in the state is it’s more negative than positive,” Carttar said. “What I assume to be true is that masks a complicated reality, of deeply held positives and deeply held negatives.”

Carttar, a 1971 graduate of Lawrence High School and 1976 graduate of KU, fills a role most recently held on a permanent basis by Janet Murguia, who early this year was named to the top post at the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy organization. Kevin Boatright, Murguia’s top lieutenant, has served in the role in an interim basis this year.

Carttar, 51, will start in the position Oct. 4. He will be paid $190,000 a year, about $9,000 less than Murguia was paid.

The executive vice chancellor oversees university relations, trademark licensing, marketing, governmental relations, Kansas Public Radio, the Kansas Audio-Reader Network, visitor services and special events. The position formerly was known as executive vice chancellor for university relations.

Coming home

Carttar’s career includes time as a budget analyst for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget, special assistant to the U.S. ambassador to West Germany, and business consultant for Bain & Co. In 1999, he cofounded the Bridgespan Group, a Boston-based consulting firm that specializes in nonprofit strategic planning.

Carttar most recently was chief operating officer at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, Mo., a position he held from June 2003 until July 2004. He said his departure was a mutual decision that the position — which was created with his arrival — wasn’t necessary at the foundation.

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Carl Schramm, Kauffman’s CEO, said Carttar was an “incredibly talented person.”

“Paul is an enthusiastic alum of KU,” Schramm said. “People say you never go home, but Paul has managed to do that, and I know from many hours of discussion, he holds Lawrence in a special place in his heart. My hunch is the University of Kansas is gaining someone who will help clarify various programs and improve the understanding in the citizenry in the value of the university.”

Chancellor Robert Hemenway said he chose Carttar, in part, because he was a “Kansas boy who understands the Kansas political landscape.”

“He has a good understanding of the role an institution like KU plays in the state,” Hemenway said. “A fresh set of eyes from outside the university will help us in efforts to reach out to the citizens of Kansas.”

Carttar will oversee the completion of an “integrated marketing study” under way at the university. Committees are examining how KU communicates in several areas, including visual representations, recruiting and lobbying.

Listening post

He said listening would be as important as “telling our story,” especially in KU’s lobbying effort.

“It will be absolutely essential to have a complete understanding of what is important to legislators, and what they need and expect from the University of Kansas,” Carttar said. “Sales 101 will tell you, before you open your mouth to talk, you need to ask questions to make sure you’re talking to the right person and that you know what you should be talking about.”

He said the often-cited perception of KU as elitist was one issue the university must examine.

“The perception of KU as snob hill is a long-standing one,” he said. “Having a perception among some people that you are snobbish, you can make an argument that it can be rooted in characteristics that are positive and not negative.”

Those positive characteristics include goals of attracting top high school students from the state, he said.

Carttar admitted he had limited experience with state government lobbying, but he said he hoped his personal connection to KU would aid him in the effort.

“I think I have a profound appreciation for the role an institution like KU can play in a place like Kansas,” Carttar said. “Kansas needs a healthy, productive KU.”

— Kansas University journalism student Carlos Rodriguez contributed to this report.