Kara Millonzi earns UNC Provost’s Engaged Scholarship Award for Hurricane Helene Recovery Work

Kara Millonzi received the Office of the Provost's Engaged Scholarship Award at the 2026 UNC Public Service Awards on April 9, presented by UNC Provost Magnus Egerstedt and hosted by the Carolina Center for Public Service (CCPS). 

The School of Government nominated Millonzi, the Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government, for her work convening a broad coalition of partners in disaster recovery after Hurricane Helene struck western North Carolina in September 2024.  

“We credit Kara with the vision, energy, and get-it-done attitude needed to stand up resources quickly, effectively, and include everyone’s perspective in the work,” wrote Sonja Matanovic, associate dean for strategic communications and partnerships at the School of Government, in nominating Millonzi for the honor. 

In accepting the award, Millonzi shared how she became drawn into Helene recovery efforts from the very first days. 

“The day after Helene hit was a Saturday—and yet I started to get emails, text messages, phone calls—and not from western North Carolina communities; they were still in an active disaster,” she said. “[I got them] from our coastal communities—managers, finance officers, utility directors—all who had been through past disasters. They knew what was coming. They knew that the serial numbers on the vehicles and equipment used in rescue and debris removal would matter months later for FEMA reimbursement.... They had developed toolkits, spreadsheets, checklists, and their own systems to manage recovery. And they wanted to share. They wanted to help.” 

Millonzi organized weekly office hours for local government officials in the months following Helene’s landfall. In calls, she and her colleagues facilitated discussions via Zoom with finance officers about how to respond to the tragedy, helping jurisdictions meet funding deadlines. 

Millonzi told the CCPS ceremony audience how the School stepped into a trusted support role during the recovery—consistent with its longstanding mission to serve North Carolina government officials. 

“They turned to the School of Government because they know that’s what we do. We help local governments navigate the legal and practical issues they face every day and in crisis moments. But we don’t do that alone. We support the work of our partners all across the state.” 

She helped convene the Local Government Helene Recovery Partnership, made up of the following partners: UNC School of Government, Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, Western Carolina University, Lead for North Carolina, and High Country, Western Piedmont, Foothills Regional Commission, Southwestern Commission, Land-of-Sky, and Centralina Councils of Government. 

These partners worked to launch the NC Local Government Disaster Recovery Portal, a one-stop, centralized website to help local governments impacted by Hurricane Helene access disaster-recovery funding, training, and practical guidance. Beyond the portal, they stay in regular communication and coordinate their efforts, and at times collaborate to deliver training, resources, and technical assistance to support local governments and the communities they serve. 

Millonzi noted that the recovery portal has an evergreen infrastructure; it was built to provide a sustainable support framework—not just for continued recovery in western North Carolina—but for future disasters as well. 

“Disaster recovery is overwhelming,” she said. “It’s measured in not days, not weeks, not months—it’s in years…. It’s my honor to accept this, not on behalf of myself, but on behalf of my colleagues at the School and all of the partners who continue to work to help western North Carolina recovery.” 

Additional collaborators at the School of Government: