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Cohort 8

Jurisdiction: Buncombe County

University: Appalachian State University

Hometown: Surprise, AZ

Madison Harms serves as a Lead for North Carolina Fellow with Buncombe County, where she supports planning, disaster recovery, and organizational improvement projects while gaining broad exposure to county government operations. During her fellowship, Madison will meet with and shadow department heads across the County to better understand how departments function individually and collaborate to serve the community. She will also assist the Planning and Helene Recovery Office with projects related to the Swannanoa Small Area Plan, telecommunications regulations, ordinance updates, community engagement, Owen Park, and hazard mitigation research, helping advance projects and document next steps. In addition, Madison will support Strategy and Innovation, the Library, and the ID Bureau through process-improvement initiatives, training materials, strategic plan performance measures, vendor key performance indicators, and research into departmental needs. Through these projects, she is gaining hands-on experience in county operations, disaster recovery, planning and policy research, project management, process improvement, performance measurement, cross-departmental collaboration, and professional networking.

Madison Harms recently graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in Political Science. Remaining in Boone after graduation, Madison enjoys hiking, crafting, and exploring the outdoors, and is excited to begin service as a Lead for NC Fellow.

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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