UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor
- Akreyi Serves As an Adjunct Instructor in the UNC MPA Program, Teaching Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation
Aida Ali Akreyi serves as an adjunct instructor in the UNC MPA program, teaching Public Administration Analysis and Evaluation.
Ali Akreyi is the Statistician and Operations Lead for the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) program at the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Prior to joining NCES, she worked as a contractor from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) serving as the Survey Director for the IPEDS Finance and 12-month Enrollment survey components. Ali Akreyi also served as the Project Director on AIR's Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) Research and Evaluation Support project and Documentation of Research, Managing Communication and Preparation of Marketing Materials project with the University of Delaware. Ali Akreyi earned her bachelor's degree and master's degree in public administration (MPA) from Kimep University, her master's degree in business administration (MBA) from California State University, San Bernardino, and her Ph.D. in higher education administration and policy from University of California, Riverside.
Job Titles:
- Dean
- Dean of the UNC School of Government
Aimee Wall is dean of the UNC School of Government, a position she has held since February 2023. She is only the fifth person and the first woman to lead the School in its 92-year history of service to North Carolina.
Prior to her appointment, Wall was senior associate dean of the School and a professor of public law and government. She joined the School of Government faculty in 2001, providing expertise and advising focused in the areas of human services law and policy, legislative training and support, animal control law, and public health law. She has worked closely with legislators, state and county officials and others to study the state human services systems and explore opportunities for change. Wall also spent a decade as the faculty lead for the Legislative Reporting Service, a 90-year partnership with the North Carolina General Assembly.
From 2020 to 2023, Wall served as senior associate dean and helped oversee the School's administration, finances and strategic direction. She has held the Thomas Willis Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy.
Prior to joining the Carolina faculty, Wall worked in health care law with Powell, Goldstein, Frazer, and Murphy in Washington D.C., and served as a health policy analyst in the Office of the Secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and the District of Columbia State Bar. A two-time Carolina alumna, Aimee earned a Master of Public Health from the Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Juris Doctor at the School of Law. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from The Ohio State University.
Job Titles:
- Research Director, Criminal Justice Innovation Lab
Alex Cowell joined the Criminal Justice Innovation Lab in 2022 as reserach director.
Cowell earned a Ph. D. in economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He spent several years at RTI International - a private, nonprofit research organization based in North Carolina - building a career in the evaluation of policies and programs in criminal justice and in behavioral health. After briefly serving at a state Medicaid organization, Cowell joined the Lab to lead its research and evaluation work. His work helps ensure its activities have a sound evidence-base, which is core to the mission of promoting a fair and effective criminal justice system.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
Alexandra Bartz is a 2016 graduate of the online UNC MPA program and returned to the program in 2022 as adjunct faculty. Since 2007, Bartz has devoted her career to work in nonprofits, focusing on program design, implementation, innovation, and evaluation. Currently, she serves national director of program implementation at Summer Search, a national youth development nonprofit based in Oakland, California. In her role, Bartz oversees program implementation across the five-region network, drives continuous improvement for program operations and curriculum, and ensures staff have the structures, resources and support to run the program.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director of Career Services and Professional Development, MPA Program
As associate director of career services and professional development, Allison Binkley directs all career and professional development for the UNC Master of Public Administration program. This includes coaching students on their individual career and professional development as well as researching and leading career development efforts for the program.
She joined the School of Government in 2015. Previously, Binkley served as a career development counselor at UNC-Wilmington and is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC).
She earned a bachelor's degree and a master's of education from North Carolina State University.
Allison Binkley joined the School of Government in June 2015. She previously served as Career Development Counselor at UNC-Wilmington and is a Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC). She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from North Carolina State University and she holds a Master of Education in Counselor Education from ...
Job Titles:
- Services Coordinator
- Program Assessment and Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Strategic Communications Manager
Job Titles:
- Director
- Founder
- Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Director, NcIMPACT Initiative
Anita Brown-Graham is the founder and director of the ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government. This initiative seeks to expand the School's capacity to work with public officials on complex policy issues including economic mobility, the expansion of prekindergarten, and extending the labor pool. In 2020, she was named the Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government at the School.
Anita previously taught at the School from 1994 to 2006, specializing in governmental liability and economic development aimed at revitalizing communities. Anita served as director of the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University from 2007-2016, where she led efforts to build North Carolina's capacity for economic development and prosperity, working with business, government, and higher education leaders from across the state.
Anita began her career as a law clerk in the Eastern District of California. She is a William C. Friday Fellow, an American Marshall Fellow, and was named Distinguished Global Fellow by the Eisenhower Fellowships in 2021. The White House named her a 2013 Champion of Change for her work at IEI, and the Triangle Business Journal awarded her the inaugural 2021 Andrea Harris Trailblazer Award and named her a 2017 CEO of the year. Anita serves on the boards of several organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Anita R. Brown-Graham rejoined the School of Government in September 2016 to lead the public launch of ncIMPACT-a special initiative that seeks to expand the School's capacity to work with public officials on complex policy issues. Since her arrival, she and her colleagues have devised programs to support communities working on economic mobility, poverty, the expansion of prekindergarten, extending the labor pool, and ...
Job Titles:
- Chief
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
Audrea Caesar is the inaugural chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer (CDEIO) for the UNC Healthcare system and the UNC School of Medicine. She is working to embed equity into the culture, policies, and practices to achieve a more inclusive organization while decreasing disparities in health. Audrea is a certified health education specialist (CHES) and a senior certified human resources professional (SHRM-SCP) who specializes in Leadership, Organizational Behavior, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Health Equity. With more than 20 years in the public sector, Audrea has served at the state, county, and city levels of government. Prior to UNC Health, she came to UNC Health from the City of Raleigh, where she created and led the city's first Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In this role, she developed Raleigh's first racial equity action plan emphasizing workforce equity, police-community relations, business inclusion and community engagement, and served as an advisor to the Mayor and City Council on issues related to community health, social justice, and equity. Prior to her role in Raleigh, Audrea held several positions helping organizations better understand the social determinants of inequity. As director of community outreach and support for Union County's Department of Health and Human Services, she founded the Union Health Equity Collaborative, which trained more than 150 providers and staff from Union County Public Health, Atrium Health Union, Novant Health, and members of the community on topics related to social determinants using Union County-specific data. Audrea has also worked in the provider network management arena as a medicaid ombudsman, assisting all medical provider types with billing, coding, and reimbursement.
Beth Crutchfield joined the School of Government in 2020 as the School of Government Foundation Board's accountant. Previously, she served as a senior budget analyst for the UNC System Office. In that role, Beth managed all Budget Office operations for the System Office. Prior to that, she served in multiple positions at UNC-Chapel Hill. She served as the Senior Accountant in the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI), Assistant Contract Specialist and Pre-Audit Technician in the Office of Sponsored Research (OSR), and Accounting Technician in the Department of Pharmacology at UNC-Chapel Hill. She has a total of 25 years of service within the UNC System.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
Blossom Barrett joined the School of Government in January 2018 as an adjunct professor for the MPA program. For more than 10 years she has worked in the nonprofit arena, primarily in the areas of development, data analysis, and program evaluation. Currently, Blossom is the associate director of data and evaluation for I Know I Can, a nonprofit college access organization in Columbus, Ohio. In her role, she is responsible for data management for three school districts. Additionally, Blossom manages stakeholder reporting and program evaluation for funding valued at more than $6M. Blossom earned a bachelor's degree in history from Kenyon College, a master's degree in educational policy and leadership, and a doctorate in philosophy in educational studies from The Ohio State University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government
- Expert
Brittany Bromell is an expert in criminal law and procedure, with expertise in domestic violence and computer crimes.
As a faculty member, Bromell teaches and advises courtroom professionals, including judges, magistrates, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and law enforcement officers.
She joined the School of Government in July 2020. Prior to joining the School, she received a bachelor's degree from Duke University and a J.D. from the North Carolina Central University School of Law, summa cum laude, where she served as the notes and comments editor for the North Carolina Central Law Review. Bromell is a member of the North Carolina State Bar.
Job Titles:
- Associate for the School of Government
- Program Associate, Courts Group
As program associate for the School of Government, Brooke Cale is responsible for managing programs serving court judges, magistrates, and public defenders.
She joined the School of Government in 2022. Previously, Cale worked in the hospitality industry for nine years as front office manager at The Carolina Inn and housekeeping manager in Arlington, VA.
She earned a bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Job Titles:
- Program Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Law and Finance Group
As program manager, Cale works with a variety of local government officials, including attorneys, registers of deeds, health directors, and zoning officials.
She joined the School of Government in 2019. Previously, Cale was a social catering manager at The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill.
Charmain Cale joined the School of Government in 2019. In her role as program manager, Cale works with a variety of local government officials, including attorneys ...
Job Titles:
- Program Manager at the School of Government
- Program Manager, Management, Administration, and Leadership Group
As program manager at the School of Government, Chelsea Brock is responsible for managing and supporting programs for the ncIMPACT Initiative, including Carolina Across 100
She joined the School of Government in 2022. Brock earned a bachelor's and master's degree from Appalachian State University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors Principal Technical Advisor, LMI
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
- Principal Researcher at American Institutes for Research
Christopher A. Cody is a Principal Researcher at American Institutes for Research, where he serves as the project director for their postsecondary administrative data division and longitudinal studies work with the National Center for Education Statistics. Prior to joining American Institutes for Research, Cody was the director of research and public policy at The Public School Forum of North Carolina. While there, he was also a fellow with the education policy fellowship program sponsored by the Institute for Education Leadership. Cody earned his bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University, his master's degree in public affairs from Western Carolina University, and his Ph.D. in public administration from North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Public Law and Government
Connor Crews joined the School of Government in February 2020. In June 2022, Crews shifted his focus at the School to topics in local government finance law, including local government revenues and sales and use tax issues. Immediately prior to joining the School, he worked as an associate at McGuireWoods LLP in Raleigh, where he served as bond counsel, borrower's counsel, and underwriter's counsel in a wide range of tax-exempt and tax-advantaged financings for public entities and nonprofit organizations.
Crews earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor for the Journal of Law & Politics. He earned a bachelor's degree with highest distinction from UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a member of the North Carolina State Bar.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Human Resources
As assistant dean for human resources, Danielle Bass provides leadership and management for all human resources functions and issues within the School of Government. She joined the School in 2022.
Previously, Bass served as the Assistant Director for Human Resources at Kenan-Flagler Business School. She managed staff development, employee relations, class and compensation, and all other aspects of employment for permanent SHRA and EHRA non-faculty employees.
Bass earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Mount Olive and holds her PHR Certification.
Job Titles:
- Project Analyst, Environmental Finance Center
Job Titles:
- Program Manager, Courts Group
- School of Government As Program Manager
Erica Carlisle joined the School of Government as program manager in 2023.
Previously, she worked in the Office of Admissions at Barton College in Wilson, NC. There, she managed all recruitment events, as well as communication campaigns and partnerships with other campus offices.
Carlisle earned a bachelor's degree from East Carolina University, where she was also a member of the Honors College.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
- School of Government As Adjunct Instructor
Evans Ballard joined the School of Government as Adjunct Instructor for the MPA Program in 2015. He has more than 30 years of combined experience in the private and public sectors, including over 20 years developing and using performance management systems. He is a certified budget and evaluation officer and is Past President of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association. He has led large organizations, presented to ICMA and the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, and served on the steering committee for the National Center for Civic Innovation. His published work focuses on using survey data to improve community outcomes. He holds BA and MPA degrees and has completed both the Municipal Administration course at UNC and the LEAD Program at UVA. Originally from Indianapolis, Ballard is an Army veteran who served on active duty in the US and Germany as a non-commissioned officer in a mechanized infantry company with the 4th and 8th Divisions.
Job Titles:
- Director of Human Resources
- School of Government in 2020 As Director of Human Resources
Faith Burks joined the School of Government in 2020 as director of human resources.
Previously, she served as human resources manager at the UNC School of Nursing. Burks earned a bachelor's degree from Old Dominion University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Library Services
Job Titles:
- Distinguished Term Teaching Assistant Professor, Center for Public Leadership and Governance
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors Vice Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Cumberland County Senior Partner, Adams, Burge and Boughman
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors Manager, City of Wilson
Gregory S. Allison serves on the faculty at the School of Government, where he lectures and provides technical support in the field of governmental accounting and financial reporting. He has served at the School since 1997 and is director of the School's Municipal and County Administration course. He was an assistant director with the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada in Chicago, Illinois; former finance director for the City of Morganton, North Carolina; and an auditor with the international accounting firm Deloitte and Touche. He is also co-author of the 8th and 9th Revised and 10th editions of Governmental and Nonprofit Accounting, published by Prentice Hall.
Allison was awarded the Outstanding Conference Speaker Award for both 2000 and 2001, the Outstanding Chapter Speaker Award in 2005, the Outstanding Discussion Leader Award in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, and 2015, the 5.0 Discussion Leader Award in 2014, and the 2014 R. Donald Farmer Award by the NC Association of Certified Public Accountants. He was awarded the Association's Outstanding Member in Government Award for 2000-2001. He was also recognized as the Albert and Gladys Hall Term Lecturer for Teaching Excellence for 2002-2004, and the Term Faculty Achievement Award for 2010-2012.
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors Chief Operating Officer, Joseph M. Bryan Foundation Retired Manager, City of Greensboro
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Advancement and Partnerships
- School of Government in 2015 As Assistant
Jen Willis joined the School of Government in 2015 as assistant dean for development. Prior to that, she served as UNC-Chapel Hill's director of public relations, representing the University before the North Carolina General Assembly and state government. Her advocacy work in public higher education also included service as the director of government relations for the North Carolina Community College System, where she developed policy issues and advocated on behalf of the system's 58 community colleges. Her career spans into local government, where she led Wake County's intergovernmental relations efforts and also served as a lead budget analyst for multiple county departments as well as the county's capital improvement program. During graduate school, she began working with the North Carolina State Legislature's Fiscal Research Division, where she served as the lead legislative staff for the House and the Senate natural and economic resources appropriations committees for nearly seven years. Willis earned a B.A. in political science from UNC-Chapel Hill and an M.P.A. from North Carolina State University.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
- School of Government in 2019 As an Adjunct Instructor
Jerri L. Bland joined the School of Government in 2019 as an adjunct instructor with the MPA program. Jerri is the managing director and virtual CIO for Cloud CIO. Bland previously served as the deputy chief information officer for Columbia University and assistant vice chancellor for enterprise applications for The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After 20 years of implementing enterprise-level application and business process technology for government agencies and higher education institutions, Bland refocused her talents to help organizations maximize their technology investments. Jerri believes that a positive connection between people, processes, and technology is a pivotal component to achieve operational goals. Bland also works with minority-serving institutions and surrounding communities to improve technology capacity and maximize workforce development opportunities. Bland is a project management professional (PMP) and a Six Sigma Green Belt. Bland has a BA from the University of New Orleans, a MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill, and a doctorate in higher education administration from The George Washington University.
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
- Manager in Lee County
John Crumpton is the current county manager in Lee County, North Carolina, and has served in this capacity since July 2007. He is also an adjunct professor with the MPA program here at the School of Government where he teaches Introduction to City and County Government. Dr. Crumpton has over 18 years' experience in Municipal and County Government and 13 years of experience ...
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
- School of Government As Adjunct Instructor
Julie Brenman joined the School of Government as adjunct instructor in 2008. She has over 15 years of local government executive experience and currently works as a management consultant to governments and nonprofits. Previously, Brenman served as director of strategic initiatives, assistant city manager, and director of budget and management services for the City of Durham. Before moving to North Carolina, she worked for the city and county of San Francisco, California, as director of...
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
Justin Barbaree began teaching in the online MPA program in 2015, where he has taught PUBA 721 Professional Communication. He is also full-time faculty at the University of North Georgia, where he teaches writing and literature courses in the English department. Justin also lived and taught in South Korea for a decade, where he taught academic writing, composition, and presentation courses to undergraduate students. He worked with the Gangwon Provincial Government Office, where he...
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors, Adjunct Instructor Vice President, NC Capital Management Trust
Job Titles:
- Graphic Designer
- Graphic Designer from Eastern North Carolina
Kayla is a graphic designer from eastern North Carolina. She earned her BFA in graphic design at East Carolina University. Before starting at the School in November 2019, she spent time in Washington DC completing an internship at World Resources Institute.
Job Titles:
- Member of the School of Government Foundation Board of Directors Executive Director, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, Raleigh
Job Titles:
- Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Teaching Assistant Professor of Public Finance and Government
Kirk Boone joined the School of Government in 2014. Previously, he was the North Carolina sales and consulting lead for Tax Management Associates, Inc. in Charlotte. Boone began his governmental career in 1992 with the North Carolina Department of Revenue, where he was a property valuation specialist for 18 years. He is designated a Certified North Carolina Appraiser by the North Carolina Association of Assessing Officers ...
Leslie Anderson joined the School of Government in 1998 with the task of developing a presence for the School in civic education and engagement. She helped to develop the North Carolina Civic Education Consortium and has also contributed to the School's work in community economic development. Leslie worked for the City of Asheville for more than 20 years, and in 1986 was named the first director of the City of Asheville Downtown Development Office. In 1995, Leslie started a consulting...
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of the Criminal Justice Innovation Lab
- Assistant Director, Criminal Justice Innovation Lab
As assistant director of the Criminal Justice Innovation Lab, Maggie Bailey manages the Lab's internal operations and supports engaged research projects to promote a more effective criminal justice system.
Bailey joined the School's Criminal Justice Innovation Lab as a Graduate Research Assistant in 2020 and then served as a Lab Project Manager for bail and policing pilot projects. Previously, she worked in public health and health policy at the...
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor
- Associate Professor of Public Law and Government
Mark Botts is an associate professor of public law and government in the School of Government at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He specializes in mental health law and provides training, consulting, and publications for mental health professionals ...
Job Titles:
- Expert
- Member at the School of Government
- Professor of Public Administration and Government
Maureen Berner is an expert on cross-organizational collaboration, food insecurity and assistance, social services programs, program evaluation, and survey methodology.
As a faculty member at the School of Government, Berner teaches research methods and program evaluation courses to both graduate students and practitioners. She has led in-depth evaluation projects at the local, state and federal levels. In addition, Berner has published extensively on issues related to the measurement...
Job Titles:
- Teaching Assistant Professor
Melanie Crenshaw joined the School of Government in August 2022, working with magistrates in the area of civil law. Prior to joining the School, she worked as a magistrate in Cumberland County. Before serving as a magistrate, Crenshaw was in private practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she represented clients in a variety of matters related to family law. While in private practice, she also worked as an adjunct professor at the Elon University School of Law in the areas of family law...
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
- School of Government in 2014 As an Adjunct Instructor
Monica R. Allen joined the School of Government in 2014 as an adjunct instructor in the MPA program. She is also Director of Strategic Planning and Evaluation for Mecklenburg County, where she focuses on leading, developing, and executing the county's corporate performance management, strategic planning, and program evaluation initiatives. Allen is also the proprietor of Insight Performance Management Group LLC, a consulting firm specializing in change management, strategy...
As fulfillment coordinator, Naser Alzawahreh manages shipping and mailing services and completes other facilities duties for the School of Government. He previously owned a limousine services business.
Job Titles:
- President, School of Government Foundation Board of Directors Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University
Job Titles:
- Video Production Specialist
Job Titles:
- Director
- Director of the School of Government 's Center for Public Leadership
- Professor
Peg Carlson is director of the School of Government's Center for Public Leadership and Governance, an initiative designed to integrate, coordinate, and expand the School's leadership, governance, and management programs and scholarship. Carlson rejoined the School of Government in September 2015, after serving on the faculty from 1992-2000. Prior to her return to the School, she was an executive consultant with Roger Schwarz & Associates and worked with a wide variety of public, private...
Job Titles:
- Expert on Grants Management
- Teaching Assistant Professor
Rebecca Badgett is an expert on grants management. In her role as teaching assistant professor, she provides provides training, consulting, and publications for local governments. Her courses largely focus on internal control and compliance with the federal Uniform Guidance and state law. Badgett also plays a key role in the facilitation of the Lead for North Carolina program, where she teaches and advises the fellows throughout the program and manages the training and curriculum for the...
Job Titles:
- Development Administrator
Job Titles:
- Project Manager, Local Government Workplaces Initiative
Job Titles:
- Adjunct Instructor, MPA Program
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor at the University of North Carolina
- Public Administration and Government
Whitney Afonso is an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Government. Whitney's research focuses on state and local public finance with an emphasis on local sales taxes. Whitney won the Burkhead Award for best manuscript published in Public Budgeting and Finance in 2015 and the Curro Award for best student paper in 2010. She also has served on the executive committee of the Association for Budgeting and Financial Management since 2018. In...
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Library Services