City of Lexington hosts Lead for North Carolina local government fellow
LEXINGTON, NC – Lexington is pleased to announce that it is one of 23 host sites statewide for the Lead for North Carolina (LFNC) program, part of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government. Effective August 2022, the City was honored to host a recent college graduate in a one-year paid local government fellowship.
Rebecca Hart, a graduate of Western Carolina University and a native of Lexington, has been placed with the City for her fellowship year.
"I believe the government's role is to serve the people, and I am excited for the opportunity with LFNC to get hands-on experience doing so at the local level within my hometown," Hart said.
LFNC serves as a bridge between North Carolina communities and intelligent, passionate, and committed young leaders. With the launch of its fourth cohort this year, the program has placed 74 fellows in positions with municipal governments, county governments, and regional councils across North Carolina.
By recruiting, training, and placing these fellows, it seeks to strengthen public institutions, support local communities and cultivate a new generation of public service leaders.
"Having Ms. Hart join our team of professionals is an absolute honor and an ideal time to leverage both her passion and tremendous skill set towards several exciting initiatives in the City of Lexington. LFNC is a stringent and service-driven program that can lead to aspiring public servants and we are so excited Lexington was chosen. In this unprecedented period increasingly known as the 'Great Resignation' compounded further with an overwhelming percentage of government leaders in North Carolina eligible to retire, Ms. Hart brings a wealth of talent to help bridge capacity among our workforce team at time when we need it most," said City Manager Terra Greene.
The fellowship placements span levels of local government: 10 serve in municipalities, eight in county offices, and remaining in regional councils of government. In total, fellows' assignments will cover 37 individual North Carolina counties. Fellows will work in areas including budgeting, management, opioid response, planning, housing, and economic development.
Lead for North Carolina is made possible through funding from an array of partners, including the State Employees' Credit Union Foundation, AmeriCorps, The Anonymous Trust, Golden LEAF Foundation, The Jessie Ball duPont Fund, the North Carolina League of Municipalities, State Farm, Wells Fargo, and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.
Lead for North Carolina is joined by the following founding partners: the North Carolina League of Municipalities, the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, the North Carolina City/County Management Association, and Lead for America.
