BOONE, N.C. — Salisbury City Manager Lane Bailey ’87 ’89 says he gets up each day to go to work to make his community a better place — whether that’s in North Carolina or across the globe.

Bailey graduated from Appalachian with a Bachelor of Science in political science and a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in local government administration, now known as town, city and county management.

As regional vice president of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Bailey has traveled to Israel, Denmark, China and, most recently, Tanzania. In China, Bailey spoke at a summit at China University for Political Science and Law about local government in North Carolina.

His international involvement represents Appalachian’s emphasis on global learning, according to Dr. Jesse Lutabingwa, Appalachian’s associate vice chancellor for international education and development.

“The goal of an Appalachian education is to develop alumni committed to impacting the global community, and Lane is a shining example of that,” Lutabingwa said.

Bailey’s recent travels to Tanzania were part of the association’s Enabling Growth Through Investment and Enterprise (ENGINE) Program. This four-year Feed the Future activity funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is designed to increase private sector investment, leading to economic growth in the country’s agricultural regions.

Bailey began his journey in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city. He then spent two weeks in the Kilosa District of the Morogoro Region — about 200 miles east of Dar es Salaam — focusing on women’s and youth programs. He worked with the district government on a range of issues, including business regulations, environment compliance, taxes and fees, transparency in government, and land management.

Bailey helped evaluate their existing processes and recommended ways to streamline efficiency, which he said he found rewarding.

A path to Africa through Appalachian

“I am very pleased that Lane got the opportunity to travel to Tanzania to make a small but important contribution in the Kilosa District,” said Lutabingwa, who is originally from Tanzania. “It is great to see that his international interest has continued to blossom. Lane’s international interest piqued due to our travel together to South Africa in 2010.”

Bailey was formerly the city manager of Lenoir, and his office employed a number of local government interns from Appalachian. In 2010, he participated in the South African Legislative Fellows Program (LFP), filling in for a host family that dropped out at the last minute. Bailey and his family hosted Nkele Maake from South Africa.

“(Maake) had a fantastic experience in Lenoir, and she and I still communicate on LinkedIn from time to time,” Bailey said. “It was a great experience having her in our community.”

Bailey told Lutabingwa how much he enjoyed the experience and said he would love to visit her country. Lutabingwa’s response: “How about next May?”

Bailey accepted and described the trip as life changing, sparking his interest in international travel and involvement with ICMA and its International Committee. On the trip, Bailey spoke at a conference and did follow-up visits to the fellows’ communities.

Since then, he and his family have hosted teachers through an international program with Appalachian. Bailey said his son is attending Appalachian in the fall, and one of the factors influencing his decision to enroll was the university’s focus on study abroad.

“It is extremely rewarding and it just gives you a different view of the world — a much bigger picture of the world that we live in,” Bailey said of his international travel. “I didn’t study abroad when I was at Appalachian and that is my biggest regret.”

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Political Science (BS) - American Politics

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Public Administration (MPA)

The Master of Public Administration is a terminal degree program that trains individuals to manage public agencies and programs and to evaluate their effectiveness.

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About the Office of International Programs

Appalachian State University combines a strong liberal arts foundation with a comprehensive, pervasive and integrated commitment to global engagement. The Office of International Programs assists App State in fulfilling its global engagement mission by working to develop awareness, knowledge, appreciation and respect of cultural differences — in both domestic and international contexts — in the university’s students, faculty and staff, as well as in the surrounding communities. Learn more at https://international.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.