UNC MPA Student & Former LFNC Fellow Receives Ed Kitchen Scholarship

As a new student in the Master of Public Administration program at UNC-Chapel Hill, Shayla Douglas received the J. Edward Kitchen Scholarship. Douglas joined the program after serving in the inaugural cohort of Lead for North Carolina Fellows in 2019.

This scholarship honors its namesake, a graduate of the program who served as president of the Alumni Association as well as the School’s Foundation Board of Directors. Kitchen is a longtime supporter of the program and spent 30 years working for the City of Greensboro, where he eventually served as manager.

Kitchen was an avid supporter and played an instrumental role in ensuring LFNC had a successful first year—it’s only fitting that the recipient of his namesake award not only shares a degree but also a dedication to serving communities across North Carolina.

Now in her first semester of study, Douglas plans to study in the program’s second-ranked local government concentration and specialize in City and Regional Planning. Douglas said her fellowship experience solidified her passion for local government and created a path for her to expand upon it in her postgraduate education.

When Douglas first became aware of the LFNC program, she said she considered herself a “perfect fit” and applied to join its first cohort. Douglas was promptly accepted into the program and matched to work as an LFNC Fellow for the Town of Pembroke, where she served as an assistant to the Town Manager. In this role, she assisted with the implementation of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) transition plan and worked on behalf of the municipality with the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

“These projects involved multiple citizen input sessions, which showed me the impact and influence that local governments have on citizens,” Douglas said.

In addition to these duties, Douglas independently managed large-scale projects—varying form chairing committees to boosting response rates among the town’s residents to the 2020 Census.

During her residence in Pembroke, Douglas said the town—both its local government employees and residents—made her feel welcome.

“From my first day they made Pembroke feel like home,” Douglas said. “This was very meaningful for me to have these relationships as a 20-year old out in the world alone for the first time.”

Her experience working in local government ultimately inspired her to apply to the UNC MPA program. When recounting the inspiration LFNC brought to her, Douglas said it was invaluable in illustrating the importance of centering young people around the mission of good governance.

“To me, it showed that young people do have a passion for local government and will be the change that local governments need to see.”

Prior to her time in Pembroke, Shayla interned for Democracy Matters and presided over a chapter at UNC-Chapel Hill while an undergraduate student. She later earned a bachelor’s degree from the University in political science and history.

After completion of the MPA program, Douglas plans to work as a city or county manager. She expressed a dedication to keeping an open mind that the local government field may ultimately lead her down a different path and is also considering working in the parks and recreation or clerkship fields. Regardless, her dedication to serving local government persists.

“I plan to continue a career in local government and bring positive change to my community,” Douglas said.