Skip to content
Cohort 3

Jurisdiction: McDowell County

University: Western Carolina

Hometown: Forest City, NC

Maëva Hassani served her fellowship in McDowell County. She was the project lead for the Maple Leaf Sports Complex, which sought to create a disability friendly playground at one of the sports complexes in the county. Hassani was responsible for creating the project plan and securing funds to make the project happen. Additionally, she created the county’s social media policy and presented it to the County Board of Commissioners for approval. She also played a leadership role on the County’s opioid task force and secured more than $1.4 million in grants to advance key community initiatives.

Hassani graduated from Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in Spanish. While enrolled at WCU, Hassani became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and later served as National Pan-Hellenic Council president. During her college career, Hassani was also part of the Student Code of Conduct board, Police Community Advisory Committee, Black Student Union, and served as a mentor to a freshman.

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…

AmeriCorps