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Cohort 7

Jurisdiction: Town of Pleasant Garden

University: UNC Greensboro

Hometown: Asheboro, NC

Abigail Valdez-Perez is the Lead for North Carolina Fellow serving the Town of Pleasant Garden. She is a summa cum laude graduate of UNC Greensboro, where she earned dual BAs in Political Science and Sociology. On campus, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, one of the most prestigious honor societies, and served in a range of leadership roles, including President of Pi Sigma Alpha and Vice President of Corazon Folklorico. Her commitment to service and student success was evident in her work as a student advisor in the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, a peer academic leader, and a CHANCE mentor supporting Latinx high school students on their path to higher education. She also co-authored academic research at UNCG and was selected to participate in the Chancellor’s Statewide VIP Initiative, where she represented student stories of academic access to the UNC Board of Governors. Her passion for serving underrepresented communities fuels her dedication to creating more equitable, community-centered solutions in local government.

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In Clayton, numbers show how resources support services and meet residents’ needs. Each figure in the budget provides insight into how departments operate and how programs are funded, creating a…

July 25, 2025

By Andy Bradshaw 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…

June 18, 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…

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