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Strengthening NC’s local governments.
Creating future public service leaders.
Transforming our communities.

A fellowship in local government for recent college graduates.

LFNC Fellows

Over 170 college graduates across the country applied for the fellowship in our inaugural year.

  1. NC Universities and Colleges Represented: UNC-CH, UNC-P, Elon, ECU, ASU, Guilford, Meredith, NCSU, Wake Forest, Duke
  1. Of our fellows are female
  1. Hometown Fellows: Fellows serving in a community with a familial connection
  1. Identify as a racial minority
  1. Are first-generation college students

“Anson County’s participation in the fellowship program represents the jurisdiction’s strategic shift toward becoming a proactive, data-oriented, flexible, and collaborative organization. Our fellow, Liam Brailey, exemplifies all of these characteristics. This program has exceeded my expectations.”

– Barron Monroe | Manager, Anson County



“As a municipal manager in NC, we know the struggles with recruiting graduates into local government. LFNC allows cities to search for those graduates who have an interest in highly technical professions and pair them up with those communities who need qualified employees. This program is intended to help bridge that gap and fill community needs.”

– Tony Sears | City Manager, Kinston

Transformative Projects In Government

Our fellows are working on the following projects:

  • Grant Writing
  • ADA Compliance
  • Broadband Access
  • Economic Development
  • Citizen Engagement Initiatives
  • Strategic Communication Plans
  • Policy Briefs on Technical Subjects
  • Environmental Sustainability
  • Community Health Initiatives
  • Hurricane Recovery & Resiliency
  • Intergovernmental Relations
  • Interjurisdictional Collaboration
  • Immigrant Communities
  • Infrastructure Projects
  • Utilities Projects
  • Event Planning

Our 2019 cohort placed 16 fellows in
high-impact positions in
local government across NC.

2019 PLACEMENT JURISDICTIONS

  1. Anson County
    Tier I
  2. Clinton
    Tier I
  3. Edenton
    Tier I
  4. Elizabeth City
    Tier I
  5. Elkin
    Tier I
  6. Fairmount
    Tier I
  7. Greensboro
    Tier II
  8. Hendersonville
    Tier III

  1. Kinston
    Tier I
  2. North Topsail
    Tier II
  3. Pembroke
    Tier I
  4. Robeson County
    Tier I
  5. Shallotte
    Tier III
  6. Spindale
    Tier I
  7. Washington
    Tier I
  8. Wilson
    Tier I

Fellows Serving Tier I Communities

  1. Of LFNC’s placement sites are located in the most economically distressed communities in NC, as classified by the NC Dept. of Commerce.

Florence Declaration Jurisdiction

  1. Of LFNC’s placement sites are in communities under a Florence disaster declaration through FEMA DR-4393

Most Recent Fellows’ Blog Posts

Your Public Library, Now with Refrigerators

by Keegan Rapp
05/09/23

You can come to our library, get a bag of books, and maybe a bag of groceries.   As the LFNC fellow in Granville County, I recently had the exciting and rewarding project of creating a new food security program for our county library system. The word “Library” does not often …

Continued

Cheesy but Inspiring Points of Direct Impact

by Ally Fouts
05/09/23

Every morning, I pass the flagpoles in front of our courthouse. Every morning, at least it seems, the flags are at half-mast. It’s been that way as long as I can remember.  Everything is so heavy these days. For many years, we’ve sat in classrooms, constantly inundated with the seemingly …

Continued

Dreaming Big in a Small Town

by Tyler Wise
05/09/23

Sometimes, tunnel vision is needed when seeking success. Each fellow within the LFNC program enters with the impression that their work will truly impact the community they serve–and they do. Each fellow becomes successful when they can highlight not only the need but also the assets of their community and …

Continued

Things to Consider When Attracting Gen Z, From a Gen Z Looking for Work

by Rebecca Hart
05/04/23

I am fairly used to be the youngest in the room, but I’ve found that being one of the youngest in the workplace a bit more challenging. There are many stereotypes about young people in the workforce – some may have truth to them, others do not. Recently, I was …

Continued

LFNC News & Updates

Supporting Students in Pursuit of Public Service Careers

Posted 3 years ago

Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Supporting students in pursuit of public service careers Published by EdNC Liam Miranda and Dylan Russell January 18, 2021 This is the fourth article in a series about the NC COVID-19 Student Response … Read more

Strengthening the Talent Pipeline to Public Service

Posted 3 years ago

Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Strengthening the talent pipeline to public service Published by EdNC Liam Miranda and Dylan Russell January 11, 2021 Mo Green, Executive Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, highlights the value of public … Read more

NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Partnerships at work

Posted 3 years ago

Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Partnerships at work Liam Miranda and Dylan Russell Lost internships and jobs. Strained organizational capacity. Due to COVID-19, both have been widespread in North Carolina, the nation, and the world.  Enter the North … Read more