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  • The university remains open, with emergency management protocols activated and operational modifications and precautions in place. Read the latest updates

App State alumnus’s fellowship program puts college grads to work in NC communities

View larger image

Dylan Russell ’14, former president of Appalachian State University’s Student Government Association and current executive director of the fellowship program Lead for North Carolina (LFNC), in LFNC’s training center within the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government. Photo submitted

“Local governments are at the vanguard of problem-solving and young people are determined to be change agents. It’s the perfect marriage between what our institutions need and what young people want: careers in which they can make a difference.”

Dylan Russell ’14, executive director of Lead for North Carolina

Why App State?

“I found myself at an event in high school with alumni from another university and from Appalachian. The other alumnus kept talking about what his school could do for me. The alumnus of Appalachian asked, ‘Well, what do you want to do with your life?’ And then told me how I could shape that at Appalachian. The conversation was a reflection that relationships drive Appalachian — our relationship to the High Country community, to fellow students, to faculty, to the environment.” — Dylan Russell ’14, executive director of Lead for North Carolina

NC COVID-19 response

Dylan Russell ’14 is involved with the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps — a collaboration between LFNC, the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government and the office of Gov. Roy Cooper. This program helps pair students who were unable to complete internships due to COVID-19 with local governments and nonprofits that are overwhelmed with work related to the virus. To date, 200 students from UNC System schools, including App State, have been placed in internships.

By Megan Bruffy
Posted Nov. 4, 2020 at 1:40 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University alumnus Dylan Russell ’14 nurtured his passion for civic engagement during his time as president of App State’s Student Government Association (SGA), as a White House intern and in the classroom as a teacher. Today, he is the executive director of Lead for North Carolina (LFNC) — a fellowship program that helps service-oriented college graduates put their talents to use in communities throughout the state.

“Local governments are at the vanguard of problem-solving and young people are determined to be change agents. It’s the perfect marriage between what our institutions need and what young people want: careers in which they can make a difference.”

Dylan Russell ’14, executive director of Lead for North Carolina

“Local governments are at the vanguard of problem-solving and young people are determined to be change agents,” said Russell, who earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from App State and a master of public administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

According to Russell, LFNC — which he co-founded — is a “perfect marriage between what our institutions need and what young people want: careers in which they can make a difference.”

Russell, a first-generation college student from Watauga County, said the environment at App State encouraged him to be an engaged and active citizen, and he gave frequent updates to the Boone Town Council and the Watauga County Commissioners during his time as SGA president.

“These experiences with elected officials instilled within me the determination to seek change on behalf of the student body and to work more closely with policymakers at the local, state and federal level,” said Russell, who was awarded App State’s W.H. Plemmons Leadership Medallion by Chancellor Sheri Everts for his work in student advocacy.

Prior to co-founding LFNC, Russell held a variety of positions, including serving as a White House intern, a policy analyst at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and a fifth grade public school teacher in Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Schools. He also held several positions in the Development Office of UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Government.

View larger image

Fellows in the Lead for North Carolina program are pictured at a celebration of their service held at the North Carolina Executive Mansion in July 2019. Appalachian State University alumnus Dylan Russell ’14, second from left, serves as executive director of the fellowship program. Photo submitted

Empowering graduates to make a difference

LFNC pairs recent college graduates with cities and towns in need of assistance, where the fellows work on projects ranging from affordable housing and emergency management, to communications and finance.

According to Russell, after the program’s inaugural year:

  • 94% of local governments surveyed reported that hosting an LFNC fellow helped to expand their capacity to achieve their goals.
  • 88% said the fellows helped complete work they had previously been unable to prioritize.
  • LFNC managers estimated more than $1.8 million in cost savings to the jurisdictions because of the fellows’ work.
View larger image

Appalachian State University alumnus Dylan Russell ’14, pictured in App State’s Student Government Association (SGA) office during his senior year. Since graduating, Russell co-founded Lead for North Carolina, a fellowship program that helps communities across the state. He was inspired to create the program by his time as president of SGA. Photo submitted

Now in its second year, LFNC currently has 28 fellows serving across the state — predominantly in economically distressed communities. The fellows have secured more than $10.3 million in grants to assist their jurisdictions.

To turn LFNC from a dream into a reality, Russell leaned on connections he had made throughout his life and career as he pitched his idea to “anyone who would listen.” Specifically, he said many of his App State mentors — including assistant professor of public administration Dr. Patricia Mitchell — helped influence the direction of the LFNC program and encouraged funders from across the state to meet with him.

“Dylan has done an exceptional job in program creation and implementation to make this a highly successful endeavor,” Mitchell said. “He met every challenge with professionalism and overcame each one to produce a program that is making a difference in North Carolina.”

Why App State?

“I found myself at an event in high school with alumni from another university and from Appalachian. The other alumnus kept talking about what his school could do for me. The alumnus of Appalachian asked, ‘Well, what do you want to do with your life?’ And then told me how I could shape that at Appalachian. The conversation was a reflection that relationships drive Appalachian — our relationship to the High Country community, to fellow students, to faculty, to the environment.” — Dylan Russell ’14, executive director of Lead for North Carolina

NC COVID-19 response

Dylan Russell ’14 is involved with the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps — a collaboration between LFNC, the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government and the office of Gov. Roy Cooper. This program helps pair students who were unable to complete internships due to COVID-19 with local governments and nonprofits that are overwhelmed with work related to the virus. To date, 200 students from UNC System schools, including App State, have been placed in internships.

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Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Supporting students, nonprofits, and government through a cross-sector partnership
Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Supporting students, nonprofits, and government through a cross-sector partnership
EdNC
Oct. 19, 2020

Learn more about the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps and the impact they made across the state this summer.

Learn more
Lead for North Carolina
Lead for North Carolina

UNC School of Government

Lead for North Carolina (LFNC) aims to recruit, train, and place the state’s most promising young leaders in paid local government fellowships as a means of strengthening our public institutions, supporting our local communities, and cultivating a new generation of public service leaders.

Learn more
Elementary Education (BS)
Elementary Education (BS)

Appalachian State University’s Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education prepares students to teach in kindergarten through grade six and leads to a North Carolina teaching license.

Learn more

About the Department of Curriculum and Instruction

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction offers a broad range of comprehensive degree programs at the baccalaureate and master’s levels. The department seeks to provide quality programs that emphasize the integration of academics and field experiences. Learn more at https://ci.appstate.edu.

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor's, master's, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. With so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

“Local governments are at the vanguard of problem-solving and young people are determined to be change agents. It’s the perfect marriage between what our institutions need and what young people want: careers in which they can make a difference.”

Dylan Russell ’14, executive director of Lead for North Carolina

Why App State?

“I found myself at an event in high school with alumni from another university and from Appalachian. The other alumnus kept talking about what his school could do for me. The alumnus of Appalachian asked, ‘Well, what do you want to do with your life?’ And then told me how I could shape that at Appalachian. The conversation was a reflection that relationships drive Appalachian — our relationship to the High Country community, to fellow students, to faculty, to the environment.” — Dylan Russell ’14, executive director of Lead for North Carolina

NC COVID-19 response

Dylan Russell ’14 is involved with the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps — a collaboration between LFNC, the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government and the office of Gov. Roy Cooper. This program helps pair students who were unable to complete internships due to COVID-19 with local governments and nonprofits that are overwhelmed with work related to the virus. To date, 200 students from UNC System schools, including App State, have been placed in internships.

Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Supporting students, nonprofits, and government through a cross-sector partnership
Perspective | NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps: Supporting students, nonprofits, and government through a cross-sector partnership
EdNC
Oct. 19, 2020

Learn more about the NC COVID-19 Student Response Corps and the impact they made across the state this summer.

Learn more
Lead for North Carolina
Lead for North Carolina

UNC School of Government

Lead for North Carolina (LFNC) aims to recruit, train, and place the state’s most promising young leaders in paid local government fellowships as a means of strengthening our public institutions, supporting our local communities, and cultivating a new generation of public service leaders.

Learn more
Elementary Education (BS)
Elementary Education (BS)

Appalachian State University’s Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education prepares students to teach in kindergarten through grade six and leads to a North Carolina teaching license.

Learn more

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

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Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

The migration of materials from other sites is still incomplete, so if you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Additional feature stories may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • Photo galleries and videos published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found at Appalachian Magazine
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
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