Faculty and Staff

Sara DePasquale specializes in child welfare law in North Carolina. Her specific areas of expertise include juvenile abuse, neglect, dependency; termination of parental rights; adoptions of minors; juvenile emancipation; judicial waiver of parental consent for abortion; legitimation proceedings; and paternity issues. In December 2021, DePasquale was one of the first specialists in child welfare law certified by the North Carolina State Bar....

Kimalee Dickerson is an assistant professor of public leadership at the School of Government. She is an expert on public leadership, leadership development, and improving organizational culture within the public sector.

Phil Dixon primarily works with public defenders and defense lawyers.

He joined the School of Government in 2017. Previously, he worked as a defense lawyer in eastern North Carolina for over eight years. During that time, he represented criminal defendants and juveniles charged with all types of crimes at the trial level. 

In 2023, he was named director of the School’s Public Defense Education group. In collaboration with Indigent Defense Services...

Heather Duhart is the Assistant Dean for Graduate Studies at the School of Government. 

She joined the School of Government in 2015.  Previously at the school, she served as the Managing Director of the Master of Public Administration program. Prior to joining the School of Government, she served as the associate director of student life for the Daytime MBA program at Duke University. Before...

Ahmed Rachid (AR) El-Khattabi joined the School of Government in 2024. As associate director of the School's Environmental Finance Center (EFC), he supports EFC's services through the advancement of its research, the design and maintenance of its data infrastructure, and the creation of interactive web tools. 

Previously, El-Khattabi worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) in the Office of Water as an Economist in the Water Economics...

Rebecca L. Fisher-Gabbard is an assistant professor of public law and government at the School of Government. In her role on the faculty, her work focuses primarily on local government law, with an emphasis on municipal authority and liability. Prior to joining the School, Fisher-Gabbard was an education law associate at Tharrington Smith LLP, where she represented and advised local boards of education across the state. Before practicing education law, she served as a...

Traci Forchette joined the School of Government in 1999. She earned her degree in accounting from Alamance Community College.

Eric Fotheringham is director of strategic academic initiatives in academic affairs for the UNC System Office. In this role, he serves as the project director for a number of adult learner and returning student initiatives, as well as grant-funded projects focused on expanding student success in innovative ways. He is the project director for the Adult Promise grant from the Lumina Foundation which, in partnership with the North Carolina Community College System, is expanding data...

As program manager, Jennifer Fulton supports programs that deliver continuing education courses. Specifically, Fulton is responsible for managing event logistics, working closely with faculty, and supporting clients. She previously served as a Program Associate.

Fulton joined the School of Government in 2019. She earned a bachelor's degree from UNC-Charlotte and is currently pursuing an MPA degree at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Katie Geith is the advancement communications manager for the School of Government. She joined the School in 2023. Previously, she served on the media relations teams at University Communications at UNC-Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in public and nonprofit administration from Grand Valley State University, and a master’s in corporate and organizational communications from Northeastern University.

Kristen Glasener joined the School of Government as adjunct faculty for the MPA Program in 2017. She has previously worked in the nonprofit and higher education sectors, primarily in the areas of college access and admissions. She also taught research methods at Boston University School of Social Work. Glasener is currently a research assistant and Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan's Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. Her research focuses on higher...

Darren Goroski is assistant dean for information technology at the School of Government. He has more than 20 years of programming experience. An award-winning application designer and developer, Goroski has created numerous applications for local governments serving a variety of departments, including public safety, community development, and downtown revitalization efforts, which dramatically improved the efficiency and effectiveness of work processes and data sharing. He has built numerous...

Jacquelyn "Jacqui" Greene joined the UNC School of Government’s legal faculty in 2018 to focus on juvenile justice. She teaches, advises, and writes about juvenile law as it relates to the juvenile justice system. She authored the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act Implementation Guide in 2019 and trained juvenile justice stakeholders across North Carolina in this new law that raised the age of juvenile court jurisdiction. Before coming to the School, she provided national training and...

Jenny Heckscher is the director of innovation programs for the Center for Innovation Strategies at The Ohio State University, where she manages programs, operations, and outreach to support education, research, and applied practice in innovation. She provides learning experiences and consultation to private and public organizations with the goal of aligning strategy, people, and process in support of initiatives that create social and economic value. In prior roles at Ohio State, she...

Mary Hemphill is a leadership expert and coach, K-12 educator and administrator, author, and inspirational speaker with over 15 years of professional experience in these fields. As a state director, and university professor with a Ph.D. in leadership studies, Mary understands the importance of fusing education, empowerment, and leadership together as she works with learning and working communities and speaks to audiences across the country. Most recently, Hemphill has the opportunity to hone...

Jennifer Henderson is a legal assistant for the Legislative Reporting Service and an academic editor. She joined the School of Government in 1998. 

Henderson earned a bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. 

As assistant dean for finance and business operations, Lexi Herndon provides analytical and financial management guidance to the School. Among other duties, she manages the implementation of grants, ensures their compliance, and oversees service agreements. Herndon first came to the School in 2014 as coordinator of outreach and marketing for the Environmental Finance Center (EFC) as well as manager of the EFC website and blog and coordinator of EFC workshops, webinars, and conferences. In...

Shauna Hines-Farmer joined the School of Government in 2024. As Assistant Director of Career, Alumni, and Employer Engagement, she supports career and professional development for students, alumni, and employers of the UNC Master of Public Administration program. Additionally, Hines-Farmer delivers career services as well as engages alumni and employers.

Previously, she served as a Community Resource Director for Special Olympics North Carolina and Assistant Director...

Ben Hitchings, FAICP, CZO, is a School of Government Fellow and the principal of Green Heron Planning, LLC. He provides research, guidance, and teaching on land use and community planning to School clients throughout North Carolina. A past president of the North Carolina chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NC), Ben has more than 30 years of experience working on planning issues. He is the former planning director for the Town of Chapel Hill and the Town of Morrisville, North...