12 Fellows join second Lead for North Carolina Cohort

Lead for North Carolina (LFNC), a program of the UNC School of Government, is continuing its mission to train a new generation of public service leaders with the introduction of its second cohort of fellows.

LFNC recruited, trained, and placed 12 recent graduates in one-year paid fellowships in North Carolina municipal and county governments and regional organizations. Now in its second year of operation, LFNC has a total of 23 fellows working across the state.

“We are so proud to see these individuals commit the next year and their lives to public service,” LFNC Executive Director Dylan Russell said. “Local governments are working hard to ensure that all of North Carolina’s communities can attract the talent needed to address some of our greatest challenges. I’m confident that these young people possess the skills, determination, and heart to enact transformational change across the state.”  

Of the 12 fellowship placements, nine are serving in Tier 1 communities according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s annual ranking of all 100 counties. The rankings are based on economic well-being and encourage economic activity in less prosperous areas of the state. The 40 most distressed counties are designated as Tier 1.

Generous funding for this program comes from several partners. LFNC is supported by the State Employees’ Credit Union Foundation, Golden LEAF Foundation, The Jesse Ball duPont Fund, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, Wells Fargo, and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

Lead for North Carolina is joined by the following founding partners: the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina City/County Management Association and Lead for America.

LFNC Cohort Two Fellows

Nate Polo | Pollocksville, N.C.
UNC-Chapel Hill
Hailing from New Bern, Polo graduated with a B.A. in geography and minors in history and city and regional planning. As an undergraduate student, he served as a Fellow with the Humanities for the Public Good Initiative and was awarded the Douglas Eyre Award for Outstanding Leadership.

Valerie Keys | Pembroke, N.C.
UNC-Wilmington
Keys is a native of Fayetteville and earned a B.A. in communications studies and a minor in political science. She was the founder of UNCW’s speech and debate team, “The Speechawks,” and served as managing editor of her university newspaper.

Jena Phillips | Ahoskie, N.C.
North Carolina State University
A Raleigh native, Phillips earned B.A.s in political science and Arabic language and literature. As an undergraduate, she coordinated and facilitated a leadership development program for more than 300 fellow students and was both a participant and team leader for multiple alternative service breaks.

Louisa Sholar | Burlington, N.C.
Elon University
Sholar hails from Mooresville and graduated with a B.A. in international and global studies and minors in political science and poverty and social justice studies. While at Elon, she served as student body vice president and speaker of the Senate.

Val Mera | Apex, N.C.
North Carolina State University
Mera graduated with a B.A. in political science and minors in French and history and was a graduate of the political science honors program. While at NC State, the Raleigh native served with the on-campus food pantry, French Club, College Ambassadors, and took on the role of director of sustainability for student government.

Taylor Norton | Mid-East Commission
North Carolina State University
Norton grew up in Vass and earned a B.A. in political science with a minor in ethics. During her undergraduate career, she worked at the North Carolina General Assembly with Rep. Phil Shepard and volunteered with a nonprofit serving homeless individuals in Raleigh.

Shelby Holmes | Shelby, N.C.
Davidson University
Hailing from Weaverville, Holmes received a B.A. in social and gender and sexuality studies. As an undergraduate at Davidson, she was recognized for her original research and is a Phi Beta Kappa inductee. She has previous experience working in arts and cultural programming, philanthropy, and social research.

David Simmons | Wilkesboro, N.C.
UNC-Greensboro
Simmons graduated with a B.A. in political science and a minor in history. As a native of Wilkesboro and graduate of Wilkes Community College and Wilkes Early College High School, he has returned to his hometown to serve as a Fellow.

Elizabeth Mitchell | Martin County
UNC-Chapel Hill
Mitchell earned her degrees at UNC-Chapel Hill in political science and environmental studies with a minor in urban studies and planning. Hailing from Winston-Salem, she was a member and captain of the varsity women’s rowing team and earned UNC-CH’s ACC Top Six for Service Award in 2020.

Carly Malcolm | Guilford County
Clemson University
Malcom is from High Point and returns to North Carolina for her fellowship after earning a B.S. in Spanish and international health with a minor in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies at Clemson. She completed an honors thesis in political science, studied abroad in Argentina and South Africa, and was a member of student government.

Nina Worth | Rockingham County
North Carolina State University
A native of Cary, Worth earned a B.A. in political science and public policy with a minor in health and medicine. She was inducted into NC State’s honors program and Pi Sigma Alpha as an undergraduate, and has interned for several politicians at both the state and local level.

Magnolia Long | Rutherfordton, N.C.
UNC-Greensboro
Long majored in political science and minored in American sign language and deaf studies. She graduated with recognition from Pi Sigma Alpha and Lloyd’s International Honors College. Her thesis covered the relationship between political efficacy and immunization coverage.