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Cohort 7

Jurisdiction: City of Marion

University: NC State

Hometown: West Jefferson, NC

Joey Vela is originally from West Jefferson, North Carolina, and is the Lead for North Carolina Fellow for the City of Marion. He graduated cum laude from NC State with majors in Political Science and City Planning and was a member of the Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity. In Raleigh, he served as a community climate intern for the City of Raleigh. Most recently, Joey worked as a research technician and policy analyst in the Location Matters Lab at NC State, where he examined spatial patterns of missing permit-level data in Clean Water Act enforcement, and how gaps in available data can lead to a lapse in regulatory monitoring, compromising the public right to know.

September 22, 2025

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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