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Cohort 1

Jurisdiction: Pembroke

University: UNC-Chapel Hill

Hometown: Hamlet, NC

Shayla Douglas served her fellowship in Pembroke, where she was an assistant to the town manager. In that role, she facilitated the town’s ADA transition, prepared grant proposals, and served as chair of Pembroke’s Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census. Thanks to Douglas’ efforts, Pembroke secured a $160,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation to support mitigation efforts for cleaning the town’s ditches and culverts. Douglas also secured more than $135,000 in disaster recovery funds to reimburse the town for costs incurred due to Hurricane Florence.

Douglas earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and history with a minor in women’s and gender studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. She was an intern for Democracy Matters and was a founder and president of the chapter at Carolina.

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