Kim Nelson joined the School of Government in August 2013. She was named Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Distinguished Term Associate Professor for 2017–2019. Her research on form of government, corruption, and innovation has been published in Public Administration Review, The American Review of Public Administration, State and Local Government Review, and other journals. As a member of the Center for Public Leadership, she conducts training and advice on leadership and management topics. She is co-author of the book, Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers and serves on the editorial boards of The American Review of Public Administration and State and Local Government Review. She received an MPA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and a PhD from North Carolina State University.

Selected Publications

Nelson, K.L. and Afonso, W.B. (2019), Ethics by Design: The Impact of Form of Government on Municipal Corruption. Public Admin Review, 79: 591-600.

Nelson, Kimberly L., and Stenberg, Carl W. 2018. Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers with Carl Stenberg. Washington, DC: CQ Press/Sage.

Nelson, K.L. and Svara, J.H. (2015), “The Roles of Local Government Managers in Theory and Practice: A Centennial Perspective.” Public Admin Review, 75: 49-61.

“Municipal Choices During a Recession: Bounded Rationality and Innovation.” State and Local Government Review, 44 (1S): 44-63. K. L. Nelson, 2012.

“Form of Government Still Matters: Fostering Innovation in U.S. Municipal Governments.” American Review of Public Administration, 42 (3): 257-281. K.L. Nelson, K. L., and J. H. Svara, 2012.

“Conflict and Cooperation in Municipalities: Do Variations in Form of Government Have an Effect?” Urban Affairs Review, 47(5): 696-720. K. L. Nelson and K. Nollenberger. 2011.

“State Level Autonomy and Municipal Government Structure: Influence on Form of Government Outcomes.” American Review of Public Administration, 41 (5): 542-561. K. L. Nelson, 2011.

Additional Publications

Refereed Articles and Book Chapters

Nelson, Kimberly L., and James H. Svara. 2015. The Roles of Local Government Managers in Theory and Practice: A Centennial Perspective. Public Administration Review, 75(1): 49-61.

Lange, R. and Nelson, K.L. 2014. Advancing Women in Local Government: The Case of Illinois. Public Voices, 13(2): 89–106.

Bryer, T., and Nelson, K.L. 2013. Social Media Adaptation in Urban Governance: A Conceptual Model. In Citizen e-Participation in Urban Governance, Carlos Nunes Silva, Editor. IGI Global Publishers.

Gabris, G.T., and Nelson, K.L. 2013. Transforming Municipal Boards into Accountable, High-Performing Teams: Toward a Diagnostic Model of Governing Board Effectiveness. Public Performance and Management Review, 36(3): 473–496.

Nelson, K.L., Gabris, G., and Davis, T. 2011. What Makes Municipal Councils Effective? An Empirical Analysis of How Council Members Perceive Their Group Interactions and Processes. State and Local Government Review, 43 (3): 196–204.

Nelson, K.L., Wood, C.H., and Gabris, G.T. 2011. Innovation management in local government: An empirical analysis of suburban municipalities. International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior, 14 (3): 301–328.

Nelson, K.L., and Svara, J. H. 2010. Adaptation of models versus variations in form: Classifying structures of city government. Urban Affairs Review, 45 (4): 544–562.

Gabris, G.T., Davis, T., and Nelson, K. 2010. Demand and supply: Assessing the capacity of MPA programs to satisfy the growing need for professional management in local government. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 16 (3): 379–400.

Non-Refereed Publications

Nelson, K.L. and Svara, J.H. 2014. Upholding and Expanding the Roles of Local Government Managers: State of the Profession 2012. In 2014 Municipal Yearbook. Washington, DC: ICMA.

Nelson, K.L. 2014. Managed Competition. Book chapter in Alternative Service Delivery: Readiness Check (Ed. Kurt Thurmaier). Washington, DC: ICMA.

Gabris, G.T., Nelson, K.L., and Wood, C.H. 2009. Managing for innovation in local government: Three core strategic factors. Government Finance Review. 25 (6): 22–28.

Svara, J.H., and Nelson, K.L. 2008. Taking stock of form and structure in county government. Public Management. 90 (11): 21–26.

Svara, J.H., and Nelson, K.L. 2008. Council-manager government at 100: Growing and making a difference. Public Management. 90 (7): 6–15.

Nelson, K.L. 2002. Assessing the role of CAOs in strong-mayor governments. National Civic Review. 91 (1): 41–54.

Nelson, K.L. 2002. Elected Municipal Councils. Special Data Issue no. 3. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association.

Nelson, K.L. 2002. Structure of American Municipal Government. Special Data Issue no. 4. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association.

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.

Sharon Edmundson is the current secretary of the Local Government Commission and a deputy treasurer for the state and local government finance division of the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer. She has over 30 years of experience in governmental and public accounting. Sharon received her B.S. in business administration with a concentration in accounting from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master’s degree in public administration from North Carolina State University. She is a member of the Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee of the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants and was twice awarded the Outstanding Member in Government award. Sharon is a graduate of Leadership North Carolina, Class XXII, and currently serves as the treasurer for the Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End Homelessness.

John Crumpton is the current county manager in Lee County, North Carolina, and has served in this capacity since July 2007. He is also an adjunct professor with the MPA program here at the School of Government where he teaches Introduction to City and County Government. Dr. Crumpton has over 18 years’ experience in Municipal and County Government and 13 years of experience in the private sector. He earned a doctorate in education/community college executive leadership from Wingate University and a master of business administration from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He has bachelor’s degrees in business administration from Georgia State University, and in public finance and administration from Indiana University. Dr. Crumpton has been an ICMA credentialed manager since 2008 and is a member of the North Carolina City/County Managers Association. He serves as a board of trustee member for the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners Risk Management Pools, is involved in local civic organizations, and serves on several local boards.

Julie Brenman joined the School of Government as adjunct faculty in 2008. She has over 15 years of municipal executive experience and currently works as a management consultant to governments and nonprofits. Previously, she served as director of strategic initiatives, assistant city manager, and director of budget and management services for the City of Durham. Before moving to North Carolina, Julie worked for the city and county of San Francisco, CA, as director of planning and budget, budget and fiscal operations manager, and budget manager with the Department of Human Services, and as budget/policy analyst in the Office of the Mayor. Her publications include Local Government Budgeting: A Guide for North Carolina Elected Officials and a chapter on Using Trained Observer Ratings in the Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation. She is a member of the International City/County Management Association and a Credentialed Manager and has served on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Local Government Budget Association. Julie holds a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.A. in public policy from Harvard University.

Selected Publications

Allison, Gregory S., and Brenman, Julie M. 2013. Local Government Budgeting: A Guide for North Carolina Elected Officials. Chapel Hill, NC. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government.

Newcomer, Kathryn E.; Hatry, Harry P.; and Wholey, Joseph S. 2015. Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, 4th Edition. Jossey-Bass. “Using Trained Observer Ratings” chapter.