February 2018
Spring Fellows – Weekend Three
Our third weekend begins as we the discuss the difference between City and County Governments. We are joined by Marty Lawing, Guilford County Manager, and Jim Westmoreland, Greensboro City Manager, who will walk us through the differences between City and County governments, from the responsibilities and services provided to the legal entities of Cities and Counties. After dinner, we will be joined by a panel of elected officials (City and County) who will add to the discussion and will answer…
Find out more »Spring Fellows – Weekend Three
Saturday morning, we begin with the essentials of public speaking. Bonnie McAlister is a Leadership and Communications consultant. She is an Executive in Residence and Emerita faculty member at the Elon Law School, and, previously has held positions as Adjunct Trainer for the Center of Creative Leadership, and Adjunct Faculty member at the Bryan School of Business and Economics at UNCG. She will help us identify the critical elements of successful public speaking and communication and some of the most…
Find out more »Spring Fellows – Weekend Four
We begin the weekend with Cindy Morgan from Spectrum Media. She will talk about how to buy media in the digital world and how your advertising can be tailored to fit your budget while maximizing the reach of your message. Using multiple media platforms to reach the voters, and utilizing targeted digital media is one of the tools to winning campaigns at statewide and local levels. Friday evening we will continue to learn how to put together a Campaign Plan.…
Find out more »Spring Fellows – Weekend Four
We begin Saturday's session with one of the most important topics of campaigns – fundraising, with 2012 Fall Fellow, Chris McCoy. Fundraising is an essential ingredient of all campaigns—large and small—and usually is the component most candidates and campaigns struggle with. Chris will help us explore the essentials of effective fundraising strategy and the techniques he recommends for putting that strategy into action. In the afternoon, we learn about the foundations of liberal and conservative thought, featuring Chris Fitzsimon, Political…
Find out more »NC IOPL Alumni Continuing Education – “The Liberal and Conservative Mind”
Chris Fitzsimon, Political Consultant and Director of The Newsroom, and John Hood, President of the John William Pope Foundation, lead this discussion, intended to broaden one's understanding of the foundations of both conservative and liberal thinking that underlie electoral politics in the US. They will also discuss the role of "think tanks" and share some information about their organizations. Click to Register - "The Liberal and Conservative Mind"
Find out more »March 2018
Spring Fellows – Weekend Five
In politics, as well as any public service environment, the role of the media is critical. We hear too much about adversarial relationships between the press and those in public service. Big mistake! They need you, and you need them! Developing healthy and respectful relationships with the press is essential to having candidates and their issues presented accurately. On Friday evening, we will hear a panel of media professionals talk about “How to Work with the Media”. We have representatives…
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We will be at the studio of WKKR/WKZL-FM in Greensboro, where each Fellow will be the subject of a radio talk show interview and interviewed as a candidate by a radio talk show host. The format is very much in line with what you can expect as a candidate, and the idea is to familiarize you with a common form of communication in the political campaign and to prepare you to…
Find out more »Spring Fellows – Weekend Six
Our sixth weekend begins with Ralph Mitchell. Ralph is Chairman of the Board and co-founder of Nehemiah—The Leadership Company. He will lead us in a thought-provoking and perhaps not always a comfortable exploration of diversity and politics in North Carolina. This session will touch on some of the most difficult and potentially sensitive areas in contemporary American politics. Some of the exercises will force you to make tough choices and to articulate your views and why you have them. The…
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Chip Scholz will lead us in his session on “Vision and Values.” He will ask you to examine what your vision is for yourself in public service and how it is impacted by your personal values. In the afternoon, the Fellows will join the Leadership Council for their annual meeting and luncheon, and welcome Dr. Omar Ali, Dean of the International Honors School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. As we know, the unaffiliated voter or “Independent” is…
Find out more »NC IOPL Alumni Continuing Education – “Polling”
This module is led by Martin Kifer, Associate Professor and Director of the HPU Survey Research Center. Polling is both art and science, Martin will lead us through some of the “science” of polling, and then through some of the artful and strategic applications to the current political climate. There are many pitfalls in a complex campaign environment. Too much or too little reliance on polling represent additional pitfalls. The understanding of polling—even if only a basic understanding will make…
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