Meet the Contributors
Lydian Altman
Lydian Altman joined the School of Government in 1999. Her prior work with public sector organizations included several years as a director or board member of nonprofit rape crisis and domestic violence agencies, community college administrator, and local government administrator. In her current work with the Strategic Public Leadership Initiative, she consults with elected and appointed leaders to create strategic plans that help organizations set clear priorities, allocate resources to pursue those priorities, and assess progress toward carrying out planned activities. She also faciitates retreats for governmental and nonprofit organizations and cross-sector community groups to help them plan and work together to solve public problems. Many of her project-generated articles have been published in ICMA’s IQ Report and PM Magazine, the American Review of Public Administration, Popular Government, and PA Times. Altman holds a BS in industrial relations and an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill.Peg Carlson
Peg Carlson rejoined the School of Government as Professor of the Practice in Public Leadership and Organizational Development in September 2015, after previously serving on the faculty from 1992-2000. Peg teaches, consults, and writes in the areas of communication, conflict management, and group effectiveness, and frequently facilitates meetings and retreats for governing boards and management teams.Leisha DeHart-Davis
Leisha DeHart-Davis joined the School of Government in May 2012. Previously, she was a faculty member with the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration, where she also served as doctoral program director. DeHart-Davis's research focuses on "green tape," the term she uses to describe effective policies and procedures. She specializes in employee engagement and workplace climate studies within local government organizations. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory and Public Administration Review. She serves on the board of advisors for the Arizona State University Center for Research and Organization Design. DeHart-Davis holds a PhD in public policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology.Margaret Henderson
Margaret Henderson joined the School of Government in 1999. As director of the Public Intersection Project, she researches and communicates strategies that strengthen cross-sector working relationships for more effective public problem-solving. In facilitation work, she specializes in the practical implications of managing cross-organizational collaborations, community programs, and nonprofit organizations. Henderson’s 20 years of experience in human services includes work in state and local governments as well as nonprofits. Previously she was executive director of the Orange County Rape Crisis Center. Her current responsibilities include teaching in the School’s MPA program, and she has co-authored articles that were published in Popular Government, ICMA's IQ Report and PM Magazine, American Review of Public Administration, PA Times, and the FBI Law Enforcement Journal. Henderson holds a BBA in business administration from Angelo State University and an MPA from UNC-Chapel Hill.Willow Jacobson
Willow Jacobson joined the School of Government faculty in 2003. Prior to that, she taught in the Master of Public Administration program at the University of Connecticut and worked on the Government Performance Project and the New Jersey Initiative at the Alan K. Campbell Institute at The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University. She has also assisted with strategic planning for community collaboratives in California and Oregon state government. Currently Jacobson teaches in the Master of Public Administration program, and she was integrally involved in the 2005 inaugural session of the Public Executive Leadership Academy. Her research has appeared in Public Administration Review and Public Personnel Management. Jacobson holds a PhD from Syracuse University.Rick Morse
Rick Morse joined the School of Government in 2006. He previously was assistant professor in the Public Policy and Administration Program at Iowa State University. He teaches and advises state and local public officials in the areas of collaborative governance, civic engagement, and leadership. He also teaches in the School's Master of Public Administration program. His publications include more than two dozen articles and book chapters and he is lead editor of two books on public leadership, Transforming Public Leadership for the 21st Century (M.E. Sharpe, 2007), and Innovations in Public Leadership Development (M.E. Sharpe, 2008). He also contributes to the School's Community and Economic Development blog. Morse holds a BA and MA in public policy from Brigham Young University and a PhD in public administration/public affairs from Virginia Tech. Follow him on Twitter @MorseSOG.Kimberly Nelson
Kim Nelson joined the School of Government in August 2013. She taught for seven years in the MPA program at Northern Illinois University, where she received the 2010 Professor of the Year award from the students of the Division of Public Administration. Her research and teaching interests include local government management, form of government, and innovation in local government. Previously, she taught at Southern Illinois University, the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and North Carolina State University. Nelson received an MPA from the University of Texas at San Antonio, and a PhD from North Carolina State University.Presently, Kimberly Nelson does not have any published blog posts.Carl Stenberg
Carl Stenberg joined the School of Government in 2003. Previously, he served as dean of Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, University of Baltimore; director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, University of Virginia; executive director of the Council of State Governments; and assistant director of the US Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. He is former feature editor of Public Administration Review and co-author of America's Future Work Force. Stenberg is a Fellow and former chair of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Public Administration and past president of the American Society for Public Administration. He served as director of the MPA program at the School of Government from 2006 to 2011. Stenberg holds a BA from Allegheny College and an MPA and a PhD from the State University of New York at Albany.John Stephens
John Stephens joined the School of Government in 1996. Previously, he was research director of the Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management. His publications include Guidebook to Public Dispute Resolution in North Carolina and Public Management Bulletin: Using a Mediator in Public Disputes. He is co-author of Reaching for Higher Ground: Tools for Powerful Groups and Communities and School Funding Disputes: Mediate, Don't Litigate. Stephens also teaches in the Natural Resources Leadership Institute at North Carolina State University. He is chair of the steering committee of the University Network for Collaborative Governance. Stephens earned a BA from Earlham College, a Master of Philosophy from The City University, London, and a PhD from George Mason University's Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.Vaughn Upshaw
Vaughn Upshaw joined the School of Government in 2004 as a lecturer in government and public administration. She teaches leadership and governance to public officials and facilitates meetings for local governments on topics such as manager evaluations, clarifying expectations, strategic planning, and managing citizen advisory committees. She created and serves as editor of the Board Builder Series of publications which offer practical advice on how to effectively lead and govern. Prior to joining the School, she served as director of the Public Health Leadership Doctoral Program in the UNC School of Public Health, and helped establish and direct the Association for North Carolina Boards of Health (ANCBH) and the National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH). In 2012, she received a Fulbright Specialist Award to create a leadership curriculum for senior health system managers at Moi University in Kenya. Upshaw earned a BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, an MPH and DPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an EdD from North Carolina State University.Donna Warner
Donna Warner is director of the Local Elected Leaders Academy. In this capacity, she works with faculty to design and implement education and training programs for city and county elected officials. Warner brings expertise in budget and management analysis, strategic planning, human resource administration, and retreat facilitation. She has conducted planning and board retreats for multiple North Carolina municipalities and counties, helping boards plan and work together to solve public problems. Warner earned a BA from the University of Virginia and an MPA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
