Alexandra Bartz is a 2016 graduate of the online UNC MPA program and returned to the program in 2022 as adjunct faculty. Since 2007, Bartz has devoted her career to work in nonprofits, focusing on program design, implementation, innovation, and evaluation. Currently, she serves national director of program implementation at Summer Search, a national youth development nonprofit based in Oakland, California. In her role, Bartz oversees program implementation across the five-region network, drives continuous improvement for program operations and curriculum, and ensures staff have the structures, resources and support to run the program.
Teshanee Williams joined the School of Government faculty in 2021. Prior to that, she received a UNC-Chapel Hill Carolina Postdoctoral Program Faculty Diversity Fellowship and served as a research fellow with the UNC School of Government from 2019–2021. Her research interests include the application of mixed-method approaches for inquiries related to strategic alliances between nonprofits and the public sector as well as public participation in decision-making processes. Her career goal is to produce research that helps to bridge the divide between theory and practice. In her role at the school, in addition to advising on nonprofit and local government relations, Williams instructs in the UNC MPA program—teaching courses on nonprofit management, research methods, and program evaluation—and continue research on nonprofit-local government relations and issues of social equity. She earned her MPA and PhD from North Carolina State University.
Amy Wade serves as the Director of the Faculty Network for the MPA program at the School of Government, where she is responsible for the hiring, on-boarding, and continued support of live session faculty, ensuring the MPA program engages in high-impact teaching practices to maximize student learning. Recently, Amy also served as a team member for the School’s Opioid Response Project, where she facilitated the development and implementation of collective impact approaches for opioid prevention and treatment in ten communities across North Carolina and served as a liaison for two of the larger urban centers within the state, Mecklenburg and Forsyth counties. Amy has over ten years of progressive work in nonprofit management and consulting experience in strategic planning, strategic fund development, database and dashboard development, and program design, implementation, and evaluation. During her work in the nonprofit field, Amy received a College Board CollegeKeys Compact Innovation Award for a program she designed to help low-income students and parents get ready for college. She also supported the receipt of a Kresge Foundation Award for the successful development of a program to help low-income high school students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). She obtained a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree in public administration, and a doctorate of philosophy in higher education policy and leadership from The Ohio State University.
Kristen Glasener joined the School of Government as adjunct faculty for the MPA Program in 2017. She has previously worked in the nonprofit and higher education sectors, primarily in the areas of college access and admissions. She also taught research methods at Boston University School of Social Work. Glasener is currently a research assistant and Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education. Her research focuses on higher education access and equity, college admissions and enrollment management, and financial aid policy. Kristen earned her B.A. in psychology from The Ohio State University and an M.S.W. from Boston University.
Glasener, K. M., Martell, C. A., & Posselt, J. R. (2019). “Framing diversity: Examining the place of race in institutional policy and practice post-affirmative action.” Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 12(1), 3–16.
Furquim F, Glasener KM, Oster M, McCall BP, DesJardins SL. “Navigating the Financial Aid Process: Borrowing Outcomes among First-Generation and Non-First-Generation Students.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. 2017;671(1):69-91.
Michael N. Bastedo, Nicholas A. Bowman, Kristen M. Glasener & Jandi L. Kelly (2018) “What are We Talking About When We Talk About Holistic Review? Selective College Admissions and its Effects on Low-SES Students,” The Journal of Higher Education, 89:5, 782-805
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.
Blossom Barrett joined the School of Government in January 2018 as an adjunct professor for the MPA program. For more than 10 years she has worked in the nonprofit arena, primarily in the areas of development, data analysis, and program evaluation. Currently, Blossom is the associate director of data and evaluation for I Know I Can, a nonprofit college access organization in Columbus, Ohio. In her role, she is responsible for data management for three school districts. Additionally, Blossom manages stakeholder reporting and program evaluation for funding valued at more than $6M. Blossom earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Kenyon College, a master’s degree in educational policy and leadership, and a doctorate in philosophy in educational studies from The Ohio State University.