Raleigh, NC – On Wednesday, May 13, 2026, Leadership North Carolina held the graduation ceremony for its 33^rd class. Fifty-five leaders from across the state celebrated completion of this prestigious program at the Quorum Center 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 33 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:

• Pat Millen, President/Co-Founder E2D, Inc., nominated by his classmates and chosen by the LNC Awards Committee as recipient of the Stanley Frank Class Award.
• Jesse Hamilton McCoy II, Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Duke University Law School, elected by his classmates as the class graduation speaker and selected by LNC’s Nominating Committee as the Class 34 Program Chair.
• Chris Rivera, EMD Division Director, Department of Community Resources, Mecklenburg County, honored for his leadership as the Class 33 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 33 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 33 visited Boone, Raleigh, Greensboro, Durham, New Bern, 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 34 (2026-2027) 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 33

• Amy Allison, Director, NC Outdoor Economy Office, North Carolina Department of Commerce, Buncombe
• Russell Altenburg, Program Director, Education, The Leon Levine Foundation, Mecklenburg
• James Amato, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Catalyst Advisors & Consultants, Wake
• Barbara Augustin, Chief Operating Officer, Techbridge, Durham
• Deborah D. Bailey, Vice President, Economic and Workforce Development & Continuing Education, A-B Tech Community College, Buncombe
• Patrick Brennan, Chair, NC Teaching Fellows Commission, Orange
• Meghan Brown, VP, Advancement and Operations, Central Carolina Community College, Lee
• Timothy L. Bryant, CEO/General Manager, Fayetteville Public Works Commission, Cumberland
• Jake Camp, Executive Director, Project Space 411, Wake
• Angela Catina Caraway, Executive Director, The Caraway Foundation, Anson
• Emily S. Chávez, Board Member, Durham Public Schools, Durham
• Kristen Christman, Director, Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Rockingham
• Sheena J. Cobrand, Interim Vice Chancellor and General Counsel, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Wake
• Edward Randolph Collins Jr., Dean, College of Engineering, Western Carolina University, Jackson
• Andrea J. Crowley, Executive Director, NC Student Success Center, North Carolina Community College System, Wake
• Nathan T. Dollar, Director of Carolina Demography, Carolina Population Center, UNC-CH, Wake
• Louis Duke, Director, Duke Energy Foundation and DukePAC, Duke Energy, Mecklenburg
• Brika P. Eklund, Director, Community Development Finance, First Citizens Bank, Orange
• Lily Farel, Assistant General Counsel, Legal Affairs, SAS Institute Inc., Orange
• Crystal German, Executive Vice President, Self-Help, Durham
• Kasey Ginsberg, Vice President/Chief of Staff, Golden LEAF Foundation, Wake
• Christian Grant, Principal, Deloitte, Wake
• Erik Hall, Director – Plant EPC, DER Fleet & JOR, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, Wake
• Dontario D. Hardy, Former Mayor, City of Kinston, Lenoir
• Chris Herndon, North Carolina Chapter Director, Sierra Club, Wake
• Marjorie Hope, Manager, Talent Management, Bloomin’ Brands, Columbus
• Safiyah Jackson, Chief Strategy Officer/VP, The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Wake
• Audrey J. Jaeger, W. Dallas Herring Professor & Executive Director, Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research, North Carolina State University, Wake
• Leslie Jenkins, AEVP Marketing, Communications and Outreach, State Employees’ Credit Union, Wake
• Amalia Juchnik, Vice President Brand Marketing, Premier, Inc., Mecklenburg
• Kelsey Lawhead, Vice President, Customer Programs & Strategy, ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc., Wake
• Renae Robinson Lockhart, Major, Raleigh Police Department, Wake
• Eric L. Marsh, Town Manager, Town of Rolesville, Wake
• Steve Maynard, Certified Mentor, SCORE, Henderson
• Jesse Hamilton McCoy II, Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Duke University School of Law, Wake
• Shakeerah T. McCoy, Director, Rural Health Innovation, North Carolina Healthcare Association, Nash
• Heather McDougall, Strategy & Innovation Officer, City of Raleigh, Wake
• Paige McKinney, President/CEO, Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce, Mecklenburg
• Matthew McLamb, State Geographic Information Officer, State of North Carolina, Wayne
• Pat Millen, President/Co-Founder, E2D, Inc., Mecklenburg
• Kristine Neal, Assistant Vice President Communications, Duke Health, Wake
• Joey Nelson, Regional Director of External Affairs, AT&T, Wake
• Rebecca Smith Pickens, Senior Regional Sales Manager, Pathful, Inc., Wake
• Douglas Rao, Senior Research Scholar, NC Institute for Climate Studies, North Carolina State University, Buncombe
• Lisa A. Rhyne, Manager, Government and Community Relations, Piedmont Natural Gas, Mecklenburg
• Christopher Roberts, Vice President, Principal, Raleigh Office Leader, LS3P Associates, Wake
• Matthew Roden, Area Vice President, Advocate Health, Mecklenburg
• Marc Santre, Vice President, Talent Management, Martin Marietta, Wake
• Denise Balfour Simpson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Mecklenburg
• Saira Estrada Soto, Language Access and Immigrant Integration, City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg
• Heather Christian St.Clair, Executive Director, Chatham County Partnership for Children, Chatham
• Matthew Felton Tilley, Partner, Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, Mecklenburg
• Elizabeth Townsend, Director, East Region, Government and Community Relations, Duke Energy, Person
• Avera Terry White, Executive Director of Employee Engagement & Experience / Director of Clinical Informatics, Community Care of North Carolina, Durham
• Tracy M. Wright-Gaskins, Principal Corporate Counsel, Cisco Systems, Inc., Durham

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