News
Placement of Lead for NC Fellows in western NC aims to support Helene recovery
July 25, 2025
The School of Government is pleased to share the continued work of Lead for North Carolina Fellows. As the western region of the state continues to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the School placed Lead for NC Fellows in each of the five western Councils of Government in North Carolina as well as 10 other fellows in the western region of the state.Read More
Webinar Series Helps NC Communities Tackle Disruption
July 11, 2025
The new Drivers of Change webinar series, launching July 16th, will share tools and knowledge with local government leaders confronting big issues shaping their communities. The series offers expert insights, stories of local response, and practical strategies to build more resilient communities.Read More
20 Years of Improving Local Government Workplaces
July 9, 2025
The Local Government Workplaces Initiative (LGWI) at the UNC School of Government is the only university-based center in the country dedicated to local government workplace climate research. The center is led by Dr. Leisha DeHart-Davis, professor of public administration and government and director of the Local Government Workplaces Initiative.Read More
From Student to Public Servant
June 13, 2025
In August 2024, Paloma Garcia-Serrano stepped into the Foothills Regional Commission for her first day of work as a Lead for North Carolina Fellow. Lead for NC is a leadership development program that places aspiring public service leaders in fellowships at local government offices across the state.Read More
David Ammons answers questions about new benchmarking publication
June 11, 2025
Former School of Government faculty member David Ammons, Albert Coates Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and Government, has authored a new publication. Published in May 2025, Improving Local Government Performance through Benchmarking describes the two types of benchmarking used by local governments—metrics benchmarking and best practice benchmarking—and cites examples and lessons learned across the nation and around the globe, including prominently lessons from the North Carolina Benchmarking Project.Read More
School updates impact website with new feature, data
June 2, 2025
The UNC School of Government is pleased to announce a new addition to our impact website: an interactive map displaying our work in all 100 counties across North Carolina. Hover over the map to see how the School has worked with each county, and click on a county to pull up a printable fact sheet.Read More
UNC MPA students graduate in spring 2025 MPA Commencement
May 27, 2025
Recent graduates from the UNC Master of Public Administration program gathered with faculty, family, friends, and staff on Saturday, May 10, 2025, to celebrate their commencement and coming next chapter in their public service careers.Read More
Addressing Affordable Housing in Hendersonville
May 19, 2025
In 2024, the City of Hendersonville, North Carolina, engaged the Development Finance Initiative (DFI) to assist with increasing the amount of affordable housing in their community. “Like most other cities, Hendersonville is faced with a housing crisis,” said City Attorney Angela Beeker. “In response, city council made housing a top priority. The City is in the process of adopting a strategic housing plan to address housing needs at all income levels. Based on our prior experience working with DFI, leadership felt very strongly that, rather than hire a consultant to write a plan for the City, those dollars could be better spent pursuing another brick-and-mortar housing initiative with the help of DFI.”...Read More
Faculty member Dylan Russell honored for teaching, leadership, and service
May 13, 2025
New UNC School of Government faculty member Dylan Russell was recently recognized with three distinguished honors, which underscore his contributions to public service, higher education, and leadership at UNC-Chapel Hill and across North Carolina.Read More
Jessica Smith retires from School of Government
May 7, 2025
Jessica Smith retired from the School of Government faculty in April 2025 after 25 years of service to the University and the State of North Carolina.Read More
Creating a Town Center from Scratch in Morrisville
April 24, 2025
In the early 2000s, the growing town of Morrisville, North Carolina, first began envisioning the value a town center could bring for their burgeoning population. They wanted an area that would have multiple uses: residential space, retail shops, and parks, all within a walkable area. “The town center is meant to activate the area and to create a destination that is distinctly Morrisville. The way we grew, we never developed a natural downtown for people to come to,” said Brandon Zuidema, current town manager of Morrisville. “It’s about creating something that you think of when you think of Morrisville.”...Read More
Taylor Morris joins School faculty to work in emergency management and code enforcement
April 23, 2025
The UNC School of Government is pleased to welcome Taylor Morris to its faculty ranks. Morris joined the School in March 2025 as a nominated assistant professor, working specifically to teach, research, and advise in emergency management and code enforcement law.Read More
