Faculty and Staff

Kimberly L. Nelson is a professor of public administration and government at the School of Government. Her expertise and research on local government management, form and structure, and corruption have been published in Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, State and Local Government Review, and other journals.

As a member of the Center for Public Leadership and Governance, she conducts training and provides advice on leadership and management...

Kristi A. Nickodem teaches, consults, and writes about human services law, including the organization and governance of local social services and consolidated human services agencies, the responsibilities of social services and consolidated human services boards and directors, and the confidentiality of social services information. Nickodem is the author of Local Boards of Social Services in North Carolina and a faculty co-lead of the School of Government’s ...

 As associate director for the School of Government's Development Finance Initiative, Sarah Odio specializes in affordable housing, and has helped urban and rural communities across NC understand their housing needs and attract private investment to mixed-use and mixed-income developments. She also oversees projects that range from commercial adaptive reuse to neighborhood revitalization, and has advised communities on post-disaster downtown recovery. 

Odio joined the...

Lauren G. Partin is the senior associate dean for administration at the School of Government. Additionally, Partin serves as executive director of SOG Services, Inc., an associated entity of the University, and as treasurer of the School of Government Foundation, Inc. Board.

She joined the School of Government in 2018. Previously, Partin worked for the UNC System Office as the assistant vice president for budget and business enterprises. In that position, Partin led the budget and...

Marcia Perritt first joined DFI in 2012 as a fellow working in community revitalization while pursuing dual master’s degrees in public health and city and regional planning at UNC. She became a DFI project manager in 2013, associate director in 2018, and was named director in 2023. Perritt handles business development for DFI and provides specialized assistance related to community engagement and communication across all DFI projects. She currently advises North Carolina communities on...

As director of the Adult Protection Network, Kristy Preston helps counties develop multidisciplinary teams to support the work to protect vulnerable adults across the state. She joined the School of Government in 2022.

Previously, Preston served as director of social services in Stokes and Surry Counties.  

She earned a bachelor's degree from Meredith College and a master's degree from UNC Greensboro.

Bill Rivenbark is a James E. Holshouser Distinguished Professor and professor of public administration and government at the School of Government. His research primarily involves performance and financial management in local government.

Rivenbark joined the School of Government in 1999. He served as director of the UNC MPA program at the School of Government from 2011 through 2021. Rivenbark's research has appeared in Public Administration Review...

James Hart Robinson serves as an adjunct instructor in the UNC MPA program, teaching Public Financial Management.

Since 2016, Robinson has worked for the North Carolina Office of State Budget & Management (OSBM) and now serves as the Education Team Lead for Budget Execution. Prior to working at OSBM, he worked for the Rural Advancement Foundation International, North Carolina General Assembly, Center for Teaching Quality, and the Florida State Senate. Robinson earned a...

Patrice Roesler serves as manager of elected official programming for the Center for Public Leadership and Governance. Prior to joining the School of Government in January 2018, she worked for more than four decades at the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), most recently serving as Deputy Director. In that capacity, she was responsible for directing strategic planning processes and developing education and training programs. As part of those efforts, she worked...

As program manager, Ling Rudicil manages and supports leadership programs for elected and local government officials. She joined the School of Government in 2021.

Rudicil earned a bachelor's degree from Simpson College. 

Cat Schmidt is the executive director of marketing and content for the School of Government. In this role, she works to implement marketing and sales strategies around programs and publications at the School.

She joined the School of Government in 2021. 

Lisa Sheffield manages the Public Executive Leadership Academy program, the summer and winter North Carolina City and County Management Association (NCCCMA) seminars, and other leadership programs for elected and local government officials.

She joined the School of Government in 2001. She earned a bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

As program manager, John Sherman manage programs that serve magistrates, clerks, prosecutors, and other court officials in North Carolina.

Sherman joined the School of Government in 2021. Previously, he worked as a program director at Camp Anokijig, a resident summer camp and outdoor education center. 

He earned a bachelor's degree from Western Colorado University.

Mike Smith held the position of dean of the School of Government from its creation in 2001 until 2023. He joined the faculty of the School (then the Institute of Government) in 1978 and served as director from 1992 to 2001. When he stepped down as dean, he was the longest-serving dean in modern Carolina history.

As a faculty member, Smith wrote, taught, and consulted extensively in two fields: civil liability of public officials and legal aspects of corrections. As dean, he...

Michael Spinosi is responsible for managing programs that serve magistrates, district attorneys, public defenders, and other groups. Prior to joining the School in 2018, he managed projects and events for Harris Public Policy at the University of Chicago. Spinosi earned a B.A. in history, political science, and entrepreneurship from Ohio State University as well as certification in project management strategy from the University of Chicago.

Barbara Steele oversees ncIMPACT Initiative’s website, metrics, and special events, and supports the director’s communications and logistics. Previously, she was communications director for an Orlando public relations firm and the Southeast's largest specialty surgical instrument company; served as sales and marketing director for Asheville’s spa at the Grove Park Inn; and was operations director and talk show host at a TV station in South Bend, IN. When her sons were in college, Steele...

John Stephens is an associate professor of public administration and government at the School of Government. He is an expert on citizen participation and civic involvement, civic technology, collaboration, dispute resolution, facilitation, and mediation of public disputes.

He joined the School of Government in 1996. Previously, he was research director for the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management. His publications include Guidebook to Public Dispute Resolution...

Elliot Stoller is an assistant professor of leadership and governance at the School of Government. In the role, he serves municipal, county, and state officials in areas of leadership, management, and governance. Stoller’s academic research uses organizational behavior to study executive branch governance and public sector learning processes. His applied work focuses on gauging and improving respect and trust between public officials.

Stoller is the faculty lead for...

Katherine Sweeney joined the School of Government in 2023. She has over 14 years of experience as a graphic designer focusing on book and publication design.

Sweeney earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame.

Ivy R. Taylor is a professor of practice in public leadership at the School of Government. With 20 years of experience in San Antonio, Texas, she has been an affordable housing advocate, educator, and elected official, and served as mayor for three years. Starting her career as a City of San Antonio employee, Taylor later joined the University of Texas at San Antonio as a faculty member in Public Administration. She has also served on the San Antonio Planning Commission, the boards of the...

Eric Thomas joined the School of Government in June 2015 as a project manager and design specialist with the Development Finance Initiative. From 2011–2014, Eric served as a research associate with the Center for Sustainable Community Design at the UNC Institute of the Environment. Previously, he was a community planner for Washington DC’s parks and recreation department. Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Brown University, an MA in city and...

Sarah Towne has been teaching at the School of Government since 2017. After earning a bachelor's degree in sociology and applied business, she spent a year teaching English in Mexico before pursuing a master’s degree in public administration at Appalachian State University. She moved to Washington, DC to pursue a doctorate in public administration and policy at American University’s School of Public Affairs. Her research focuses on public human resources management, workplace policies and...