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Cohort 8

Jurisdiction: High Country COG

University: Appalachian State University

Hometown: Durham, NC

Hunter Messick serves as a Lead for North Carolina Fellow with the High Country Council of Governments, where he supports technological capacity building, policy research, and internal policy development. During his fellowship, Hunter will help create an Airtable Enterprise system that allows staff to track grants throughout their lifecycle, access important records, and receive reminders about upcoming deadlines. He will also develop a policy report examining how seasonal population changes affect local governments in the High Country, including their impact on public services and the extent to which state funding formulas account for these additional demands. In addition, Hunter will research model policies and update the organization’s internal documents, including its artificial intelligence, financial, and social media policies. Through these projects, he is gaining hands-on experience in data organization, policy analysis, cross-team collaboration, local government finance and services, policy development, and the creation of effective internal controls.

Hunter Messick graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Political Science and a minor in English. Prior experiences include voting rights advocacy and student voter registration initiatives. Outside of work, Hunter enjoys playing banjo, reading, and cooking.

September 6, 2026

 This July, the eighth cohort of Lead for North Carolina Fellows arrived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to begin their journey into public sector careers. After…

August 24, 2026

This July four Western Carolina University graduates were chosen to serve communities across the state as Lead for North Carolina fellows. Lead for NC is a government fellowship program started…

August 24, 2026

This July, the eighth cohort of Lead for North Carolina Fellows arrived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to begin their journey into public sector careers. After…

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