Skip to content
Cohort 1

Jurisdiction: Hendersonville

University: Wake Forest

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Drew Finley served as a fellow in the City of Hendersonville’s Water and Sewer Department. He conducted a comprehensive survey of the state’s 20 largest municipalities and their special assessment policies and procedures. The data informed the City’s own special assessment policies for both water and sewer service. He then created policies for utility extensions and assessments, providing sewer service extensions to failing septic areas. Finley also worked on the creation of the Water and Sewer Department’s strategic plan.

Finley attended Wake Forest University where he graduated magna cum laude with honors. He holds degrees in politics and international affairs and Spanish. He is a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha and Sigma Delta Pi honor societies. During his undergraduate career, Finley was president of the Euzelian Literary Society and served for three years as a student representative on the College Curriculum Review Committee. As an undergraduate research fellow, he conducted research on disparate impact doctrine under the Fair Housing Act as well as historical and contemporary manifestations of housing segregation and housing discrimination in Winston-Salem.

January 19, 2024

The first cohort of Lead for North Carolina Fellows made a splash in communities across the state, launching meaningful projects with real-world impact.

January 19, 2024

Fellow Nick Boyd’s work with the Community Rating System program earned recognition for reducing flood insurance premiums for county homeowners.

January 19, 2024

The UNC School of Government furthers its commitment to serving North Carolina’s local governments through a course taught by William Rivenbark and Rebecca Badgett.

AmeriCorps