Faculty and Staff

As program manager, Susan Jensen works with magistrates and new district court judges.

She joined the School of Government in 2008. Jensen holds bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and MA in political science from Appalachian State University.

James (Jim) Joyce joined the School of Government in 2020, where he teaches, advises, and researches on community planning, development regulation, and environmental topics. Before coming to the School, he practiced environmental and land use law for more than ten years at K&L Gates LLP. In addition to his practice, he wrote regular alerts and updates on environmental and zoning topics, helped train Carolina’s energy industry leaders on managing regulatory compliance, and authored...

Diane Juffras is an expert on public employment law, covering Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as the intersection of the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments with the public workplace.
Juffras joined the School of Government in 2001. Previously, she was an attorney in private practice in Connecticut, specializing in employment, health care, and business...

Clare Kilmartin joined the School of Government as program associate in 2022. Previously, she worked in community organizing and program management.

Kilmartin earned a bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Ambica Knecht is the director of budget and finance for the School of Government. In this role, she works with the assistant dean for business and finance to provide financial planning, analysis, and budget management for the School. Knecht is responsible for developing, managing, and monitoring budgets for the School, each individual initiative and program, and providing standard and ad hoc financial reports. She joined the School in 2024.

Previously, Knecht served as an...

Joseph Laizure is an assistant professor of public law and government at the School of Government. In this role, Laizure works with court officials, court staff, and attorneys in the areas of civil procedure, the enforcement of judgments and supplemental proceedings, court-ordered attorney fees, order drafting, and the conduct of hearings and trials. He joined the School in 2024.

Before joining the faculty, he worked as the staff attorney at UNC School of Law Clinical Programs,...

Cindy Lee joined the School of Government in 2007. She worked as a program manager and director of programs for 15 years, primarily assisting District Court judges. In addition, she also worked with Superior Court judges, magistrates, clerks of superior court, public defenders, and district attorneys. Prior to joining the School, she was a program manager at Kenan-Flagler School of Business. Lee earned her bachelor's degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Caitlin Little joined the School of Government in 2016 as a Legislative Reporting Service (LRS) attorney. Little's LRS duties included analyzing legislation and drafting bill digests for daily publication during sessions of the North Carolina General Assembly. She also assisted the LRS Director in publishing the Daily Bulletin. Beginning in 2017, Little also worked in a research and support role for faculty with short- and long-term projects during legislative interims. Joining the Knapp...

Adam Lovelady is an expert on land use law and community planning.

As a faculty member at the School of Government, he teaches, researches, and advises on local development regulations including planning, zoning, subdivision, and related topics. Lovelady also serves as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC-Chapel Hill. Lovelady was named Albert and Gladys Hall Coates Term Professor for Teaching Excellence for 2019–2021, and...

Markham joined the School of Government faculty in 2007. His area of interest is criminal law and procedure, with a focus on the law of sentencing, corrections, and the conditions of confinement. He was named Albert and Gladys Coates Distinguished Term Associate Professor for 2015–2017. Markham earned a bachelor's degree with honors from Harvard College and a law degree with high honors, Order of the Coif, from Duke University, where he was editor-in-chief of the Duke Law Journal. He is a...

Sonja Matanovic is the associate dean for strategic communications for the School of Government.

She joined the School of Government in 2013. Previously, Matanovic served as director of communications at the International Center for Journalists in Washington, an organization that provides training and support to journalists around the world. Her prior experience includes marketing the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS); promoting philanthropic...

Alecia Matthews serves as assistant director of the School of Government's ncIMPACT Initiative.

Matthews's career in higher education includes project management in the UNC School of Government dean's office, graduate program management at the UNC School of Nursing, and adjunct instruction at NC State University, among other experiences. Previously, she served in the U.S. Army. Matthews earned a BA in public communication from the State University of New York...

Emily B. McCartha serves as a Research Associate at the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at UNC-Chapel Hill. She conducts healthcare workforce research, primarily focused on the state of North Carolina C but also nationwide. She formerly served as a Senior Program Evaluator for the North Carolina General Assembly in the program evaluation division, a non-partisan research group. She led evaluations related to public...

Chris McLaughlin works in the areas of local government tax and finance as well as ethics for government attorneys. He has authored books on property tax collection, tax foreclosures, and occupancy taxes and has published over 200 blog posts on a wide variety of issues including local taxes and legal ethics. McLaughlin joined the School of Government in 2008 after practicing law in New England and serving as an adjunct professor and assistant dean for student affairs at Duke Law School....

Kara Millonzi is the Robert W. Bradshaw Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government at the School of Government. She is an expert on local government finance law, general county law, school finance, utilities finance, development finance, and incorporation. 

As a faculty member, she administers the Coates’ Canons Local Government Law Blog and has authored well over 100 posts on issues related to local government law and finance. Millonzi also administers NC...

Jonathan Q. Morgan is a professor of public administration and government at the School of Government. He teaches, advises public officials, and conducts applied research on economic development. Morgan's research has focused on industry cluster-based development, the role of local government in economic development, business incentives, development impact analysis, and innovative, homegrown approaches to job creation. Morgan directs the School's Basic Economic Development Course, which is...

Tyler Mulligan is the David M. Lawrence Distinguished Professor of Public Law and Government at the School of Government. He counsels state and local government officials and their partner organizations regarding community economic development, affordable housing, public-private partnerships for development, and revitalization efforts.

Mulligan launched and directed the School's Development Finance Initiative (DFI), which assists local governments...

Sarah Mye works closely with the School of Government’s leadership team to measure and communicate the School’s impact, evaluate programs and services, and support strategic initiatives. Before joining the School in 2018, Mye was a project manager and research associate for the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

She earned an MPH in health behavior from UNC-Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Kimberly L. Nelson is a professor of public administration and government at the School of Government. Her expertise and research on local government management, form and structure, and corruption have 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 and Governance, she conducts training and provides advice on leadership and management...

As registrar, Brian Newport administers course registration, evaluations, and other client and visitor services in support of the School of Government's programs. He previously worked at the School as program manager, responsible for planning and managing course logistics for the School’s continuing education programs, and later served as lead for the team of program managers, responsible for planning and managing course logistics for the School’s continuing education programs.

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