Raleigh, NC – On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, Leadership North Carolina held the graduation ceremony for its 32^nd class. Fifty-six leaders from across the state celebrated completion of this prestigious program at Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh.

Each year, through a rigorous selection process, LNC chooses a class of established and emerging leaders from across the state to participate in its acclaimed program. Leadership North Carolina’s Class 32 comprises top leaders from the government, business, nonprofit, and education sectors. A full list of participants follows.

During the ceremony, special recognition was shared for the following:

• Shirnetta Harrell, Founder and Executive Director of The No Woman, No Girl Initiative, elected by her classmates as the class graduation speaker.
• Andrea V. Freile, Family Engagement and Communications Coordinator, Wayne County Public Schools, nominated by her classmates and chosen by the LNC Awards Committee as recipient of the Stanley Frank Class Award.
• Steven Martin, President and CEO, Constellation Quality Health, honored for his leadership as the Class 32 Program Chair.

Leadership North Carolina’s mission is to inform, develop, and engage committed leaders by broadening their understanding of and involvement in issues and opportunities facing North Carolina. Leadership North Carolina’s Core Program cultivates a network of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences who share a deep commitment to their state. There are now more than 1,500 graduates of the program whose continued ties to LNC and to one another provide them with rich opportunities for serving North Carolina.

Over the course of seven two-and-a-half day sessions the members of LNC Class 32 learned about issues critical to the state through discussions with top officials and professionals, intentional dialogue, and experiential learning activities. LNC’s sessions focus on six key areas: government, education, health and human services, economic development, the environment, and inclusive leadership.

LNC sessions are held in locations around the state, highlighting the social, geographic, and economic diversity of North Carolina. The members of LNC Class 32 visited Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, Wilmington, Charlotte, and Asheville. Through LNC’s program, participants gained new insight into North Carolina’s strengths and challenges and developed their own priorities for ways they can improve and empower their communities and the state as a whole.

The application period for LNC Class 33 (2025-2026) opens June 1 and will remain open through June 24. To find out more about Leadership North Carolina, please visit: www.leadershipnc.org.

LNC Class 32

• Lisa Adkins, Senior Associate, Moss+Ross, Transylvania
• Diana Baker, Associate Director of MFP, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Forsyth
• Amy Bason, Deputy Director/General Counsel, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, Wake
• Robin Bennett, Senior Tax Manager, DMJPS PLLC, Moore
• Susanna Birdsong, General Counsel / Vice President of Compliance, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, Wake
• Eric Bowen, Director, Software and Data Engineering, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, Wake
• Rosalie Calarco, Associate State Director of Advocacy and Outreach of Coastal Region, AARP North Carolina, New Hanover
• Adam Caldwell, Business Development Representative, WithersRavenel, Johnston
• Ivan Canada, President & CEO, North Carolina Center for Nonprofits, Guilford
• Mike Carson, Executive Director, Head of Consumer & Business Credit, First Citizens Bank, Wake
• Darryl Childers, Assistant State Budget Officer, North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management, Wake
• Caroline Collier, Associate Director of Continuing Professional Development, North Carolina Area Health Education Centers, Durham
• George Collier, Deputy Director, North Carolina Department of Information Technology, Harnett
• Layla Cummings, Director, Regulatory Affairs – NC, Duke Energy, Wake
• Kevin Dick, President & Chief Executive Officer, Carolina Small Business Development Fund, Wake
• Tracey du Laney, Vice President, Science and Technology Development, North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Wake
• Morgan Edwards Whaley, Chief Development Officer, Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers (TROSA), Durham
• Waqiah Ellis, Vice President, Nursing, WakeMed Health and Hospitals, Durham
• Cristina España, Senior Outreach Advisor, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Outreach, Office of the Governor, Wake
• DeDreana Freeman, Council Member, City of Durham, Durham
• Andrea Freile, Family Engagement and Communications Coordinator, Wayne County Public Schools, Wayne
• Andrew Gardner, Associate Vice President, Workforce Strategies, North Carolina Community College System, Moore
• Esteban Guzmán, Director, Small Business Center, Wayne Community College, Wayne
• Shirnetta Harrell, Founder and Executive Director, The No Woman, No Girl Initiative, Johnston
• Kerry Grace Heckle, Executive Director, Corporate & Community Relations, UNC Health, Wake
• Jenn Heiss, Director of Marketing and Communications, Institute for Emerging Issues, Wake
• Hank Henning, District Manager, Government and Community Relations, Duke Energy, Guilford
• Joe Hungerford, Director of Engineering, Curtiss-Wright, Buncombe
• James Hunter, Vice President, Government Relations, RTI International, Wake
• Michael Johnson, Senior Vice President, Dogwood State Bank, Durham
• Jodi Kaplan, Associate Vice Chancellor, Alumni Engagement, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Mecklenburg
• Leslie Karkanawi, Director of Legal Affairs, General Counsel, & Interim Chief of Staff, North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority, Wake
• Stephanie Lake, Chief Operating Officer, Wake Technical Community College Foundation, Wake
• David Lee, Industry Recruitment Coordinator, Division of Workforce Solutions, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Cleveland
• Zac Long, CEO, Well Care Health, and President, Long Family Ventures, Wake
• Collin McColskey-Leary, Vice President, Program Impact and Innovation, Communities In Schools of North Carolina, Wake
• Maryam Meseha, Attorney and Founding Partner, Pierson Ferdinand, Chatham
• Melissa Miller, Senior Manager Infrastructure & Security, Martin Marietta Materials, Wake
• Mary Moore, Goverment Relations, SAS, Wake
• Molly Nagowski, Government Relocation Program Manager, Duke Energy, Mecklenburg
• Molly O’Connor, President, Community Impact, Three Ships, Chatham
• Hetal Patel, Program Director, MDC, Guilford
• Chris Rivera, Vice President, Business & Workforce Solutions, South Piedmont Community College, Mecklenburg
• Stacy Sereno, State Legislative Director and Legislative Counsel, North Carolina Farm Bureau, Wake
• Kristi Snuggs, President, Early Years, Johnston
• Alicia Stokes, VP, Head of Strategy & Performance Execution, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Durham
• April Thornton, Director of Communications, UnitedHealthcare, Randolph
• Mariam Tisdale, Interim Executive Director/Chief of Staff, Teach for America North Carolina, Mecklenburg
• Scarlett Tyner, Manager, Strategic Communications, Novo Nordisk, Johnston
• Stacey Waddell, Deputy Chief Operations Officer, State Employees’ Credit Union (SECU), Wake
• Emily Wallace, Managing Principal, Thrivner, Inc., Wake
• Thad Walton, SVP, Carolinas Commercial Banking Executive, Regions Bank, Mecklenburg
• Demarcus Williams, Director of Communications, North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, Durham
• Keisha Williams, Assistant Vice President, Duke Learning and Organization Development, Duke University, Wake
• Heather Wilson, Executive Director, Cameron Art Museum, New Hanover
• Ralph Wilson, Assistant Vice President – Endoscopy Service Line, Atrium Health, Mecklenburg

Graduation photography by Story Photographers.