Meredith Bunnel is an MPP candidate at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. She graduated from William & Mary in 2005 with a B.A in International Relations and German Studies. She also attended and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. In 2008, she began her career in Colorado as a prosecutor, and in 2010, she opened her own practice to work primarily with children and families in criminal and dependency/neglect cases. Upon moving to North Carolina, she shifted gears professionally to focus on state and local policy challenges. For NCGrowth Meredith worked in partnership with fellow analyst Brandi Bullock to evaluate strategies that UNC Pembroke could employ to expand its role as an anchor institution in the town of Pembroke to catalyze regional economic development.

Brandi Bullock is an MBA student at UNC Pembroke. She graduated from UNCP with a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education, Minor in Sacred Music. Brandi was a recipient of the North Carolina Teaching Fellow scholarship and has six years teaching experience in Cumberland County and 10 years of experience as a seasonal legal assistant with a small private real-estate law firm. At NCGrowth, worked in partnership with fellow analyst Meredith Bunnel to evaluate strategies that UNC Pembroke could employ to expand its role as an anchor institution in the town of Pembroke to catalyze regional economic development.

Fabiola Doissaint is currently earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at North Carolina Central University, with a concentration in Finance. Fabiola serves as President of the Finance Club at NCCU, participates in spreading financial literacy to students and the community and she’s part of the community service committee for Collegiate 100 Black Women. As an analyst for NCGrowth she assisted with NCGrowth’s marketing and communications and implemented leadership development activities for high school students at the Nash and Edgecombe County Teen Entrepreneurial Summer Boot Camp offered by Cooperative Extension’s Community and Rural Development Program. This summer NCGrowth’s undergraduate internship was sponsored by ZSR’s Non Profit Internship Program.

Madison Gilbert is an MBA candidate at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Madison graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After graduation, she moved to St. Louis, Missouri to join the 2009 Teach For America corps where she taught Chemistry, Environmental Science, and College Summit at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School. Madison earned a master’s degree in Secondary Science Education from University of Missouri – St. Louis. She then returned to her hometown of Cincinnati to work for Deloitte Consulting in commercial strategy and operations. Madison specialized in customer operations, healthcare technology, and social impact consulting. Through a sponsorship program, Madison plans to return to Deloitte Consulting upon earning her MBA, and she hopes to continue her focus in social impact work, particularly within education. As an analyst for NCGrowth, Madison worked with Epoch Rain Barrels, Chef & the Farmer, and Taylor Fish Farm.

Brittney N. Henry is an MPA student at North Carolina State University. She graduated from Fayetteville State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Psychology. Upon graduation, Brittney taught Chemistry and Physical Science at West Bladen High School in 2010. Later, she became a virology laboratory technician at LabCorp in Burlington, NC. In 2015, she was employed as a Procurement Intern with the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). At NCGrowth she worked with the Coharie Tribe in Clinton and The Bath Place in Rocky Mount.

Patrick L. Mosley is an MBA student at North Carolina Central University. Patrick graduated from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Minor in Philosophy. Patrick is a United States Marine Corps veteran. Patrick’s professional experiences include accounting intern for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, financial analyst for Turner Broadcasting Systems, and a member of the NCCU Graduate Council Executive Committee. Patrick is committed to initiatives that focus on economic development and the expansion of small businesses. As an NCGrowth analyst Patrick worked with Amerizon Wireless based in Fayetteville, NC.

Abraham Saldana is a MBA student at Duke University. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Geospatial Information Science, Minor in Environmental Engineering. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an Engineer Officer. He deployed to Iraq twice as a Route Clearance Platoon leader and Executive officer before he transitioned to Special Operations as a Psychological Operations (PSYOP) Officer. He deployed to Afghanistan twice as a PSYOP officer before attending Duke University. At NCGrowth, Abraham is working with the city of Clinton to conduct business retention surveys and interviews. He is also assisting Locklear, Locklear & Jacobs, an environmental engineering firm in Pembroke, on a business development project.

Anirudh Shenoy is a Masters in Industrial Engineering student at North Carolina State University. He graduated from Visvesvaraya Technological University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Engineering in Instrumentation Technology. Anirudh has experience working with multi-disciplinary teams on several projects including near-space balloon missions, intelligent drones, and next-gen power grids. In 2013, he was awarded by NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, in Washington DC, for his exceptional systems engineering skills. At NCGrowth, Anirudh is working with P&A Industrial Fabrications in Roxboro, NC on a range of projects to improve plant efficiency.

Casey Strange is a doctoral student at North Carolina State University. She graduated from UNC Greensboro with an MA in Sociology in 2012. She enjoys applied research projects, such as program evaluations and community resource assessments. She sees these projects as making good use of her training, and also providing some of the best insights into social problems and potential solutions. Casey is working with the Folding Boat Company in Harnett County on customer focus groups and surveys.

Zach Williams is an MBA student at North Carolina State University’s Poole College of Management. He will graduate in 2017 with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Technology Commercialization. Prior to the MBA program, Zach received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from NC State. Later, he worked as a research engineer in the Thermal Energy Conversion Branch at the NASA Glenn Research Center. After returning to school full time, he has focused his course work on gaining business skills required to leverage his technical background and lead successful early stage technology startups. Zach Williams is working on a new business plan for Tide Tamer in Snow Hill, NC.