Rob Shepherd, a fixture of North Carolina local government for nearly 40 years, retired July 1, 2026, from his post as executive director of the North Carolina City & County Management Association (NCCCMA), closing out a career that touched nearly every city and county manager in the state.

For many, the first day of work brings jitters paired with anxious thoughts. Those of us in higher education may also ask bigger questions: What kind of impact will I have in this role? How can I make the most of this moment? At the School of Government, a place built on public service and civic education, these questions carry particular weight. We caught up with faculty members Colt Jensen, Julie Beasley, and Dylan Russell to hear how they navigated their first year as faculty members and what they learned along the way.

Founded in 1935 by the UNC School of Government, the Legislative Reporting Service (LRS) gives anyone in the state, including legislators, state and local governments, and individual citizens, access to the information they need to understand what’s happening in the General Assembly in real time. That work is especially important this week as the General Assembly will consider a budget and finish up other pressing matters as the short session winds down.

Across North Carolina, local governments are being asked to make increasingly complex decisions about housing, transportation, infrastructure, and economic development—often while facing limited staff capacity and constrained resources. Meeting those challenges requires professionals who can turn data into action and help communities plan for an uncertain future.

When Kristi Nickodem has a free moment, you can probably find her reading. The UNC School of Government faculty member might be immersed in a memoir or novel—but more often than not, she's catching up on the latest developments in artificial intelligence (AI).

“I'm reading the news first thing in the morning, seeing updates throughout the day, and usually checking the news last thing at night,” she said.

School of Government faculty member Crista Cuccaro accepted the Public Sector Agency 2026 Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) Award for Excellence on behalf of the School of Government at the North Carolina Department of Administration’s 45^th Annual State Construction Conference in March 2026.