Nolan Just

Hometown: Black Mountain, NC

Alma Mater: Brown University

Degree: International Relations

Where were you before you joined the MPA Program? I currently work at CooperRiis, a non-profit residential mental health facility in Mill Spring, NC. I have been here for 10 years in various roles. Our program focusses on using community, purposeful work, and social connection, as well as traditional talk therapy and therapeutic groups, as the primary tools for mental health recovery. In my current role, I manage our daytime programing. This includes supervising our non-clinical direct care staff and managing the working farm our residents maintain while in our program.

What are your areas of interest in the program? I’m most interested in non-profit management. I plan to concentrate in that area. Most of my work experience has been in operations or in mental health support. I am excited to learn more about the administration and financing side of operating a non-profit organization. I am also very interested in ways that local governments and non-profits collaborate to provide needed services in their local community.

Why did you decide to get your MPA at UNC? The MPA program at UNC stood out to me for a number of reasons. First, as a father with a full-time job, I appreciate the ability to take online classes in the evening. Additionally, I was drawn to UNC’s focus on local government. I hope to continue working with non-profits that target our local community, making familiarity with local government a must. Finally, I was impressed by the number of UNC MPA alumni who are in leadership positions in my community. Many of the local leaders I admire graduated from UNC’s MPA program.