FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, 12/28/2021 — PBS North Carolina and the UNC School of Government announce the return of the public affairs program ncIMPACT, hosted by professor Anita Brown-Graham, with a special five-episode Town Hall series premiering on Monday, January 3, at 7:30 PM, on PBS NC. Civic Federal Credit Union provided support for the series.
Each ncIMPACT Town Hall episode will feature local and regional experts exploring community issues and fielding questions before a local audience. The topics covered in the limited-run series are as follows:
Coastal Resilience (Wilmington)
Air Date: Monday, January 3, at 7:30 PM
North Carolina coastlines are a valuable asset to our state, but they are threatened by natural disasters and flooding. ncIMPACT hosts a town hall on the campus of UNC Wilmington and explores how communities can recover and plan ahead for future storms.
Affordable Housing (Greensboro)
Air Date: Monday, January 10, at 7:30 PM
Housing is fundamental to a person's wellbeing, but increasing numbers of individuals in the state are living in poor housing conditions. ncIMPACT hosts a town hall in Greensboro at the Union Square Campus of UNC Greensboro and North Carolina A&T to find out how communities can provide safe and affordable housing.
Ensuring Student Success (Chapel Hill)
Air Date: Monday, January 17, at 7:30 PM
Student success is critical to meeting the state's educational attainment goals for the future and providing the talented workforce we will need. ncIMPACT hosts a town hall on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill to feature the work being done at every level by our public systems of education to help students thrive.
Local Sustainability Goals (Asheville)
Air Date: Monday, January 24, at 7:30 PM
There is a growing need for communities to become sustainable in order to overcome environmental challenges. ncIMPACT hosts a town hall on the campus of UNC Asheville to share homegrown solutions making a positive financial and environmental impact.
Keys to Economic Recovery from COVID-19 (Fayetteville)
Air Date: Monday, January 31, at 7:30 PM
COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of life, including sectors of the economy. ncIMPACT hosts a town hall at Fayetteville State University to highlight strategies that will help local economies recover more quickly from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ncIMPACT Town Hall series leads into the program’s fourth season, premiering Friday, February 4, on PBS NC. The new season will continue to examine issues around our state including education, jobs, health and more, and visit the changemakers in our communities who are addressing these issues with innovative solutions. For more information about ncIMPACT, and to join the conversation, visit pbsnc.org/ncimpact.
Anita Brown-Graham launched the UNC School of Government’s ncIMPACT initiative in 2017, which was designed to expand the School of Government’s capacity to work with public officials on complex policy issues. Brown-Graham and her colleagues have devised programs to support communities working on economic mobility, poverty, the expansion of prekindergarten, extending the labor pool and mitigating opioid misuse. Brown-Graham is a William C. Friday Fellow, American Marshall Fellow and Eisenhower Fellow. In 2021, she was named the Distinguished Eisenhower Fellow of the Year. In 2013, the White House named her a Champion of Change for her work. The Triangle Business Journal has named her a 2014 Woman in Business for her policy leadership in the state, a 2017 CEO of the year for work at the Institute of Emerging Issues at NC State University (2007-2016), and, in 2021, the first-ever Andrea Harris Legacy award for her commitment to small businesses. Brown-Graham serves on the boards of several organizations. She earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Learn more at ncIMPACT.org.
The mission of the School of Government is to improve the lives of North Carolinians by engaging in practical scholarship that helps public officials and citizens understand and improve state and local government. As the largest university-based local government training, advisory and research organization in the United States, the School of Government serves more than 12,000 public officials each year. Established in 1931 as the Institute of Government, the School of Government provides educational, advisory and research services for state and local governments. The School of Government is also home to specialized centers focused on information technology and environmental finance. Learn more at sog.unc.edu.
Civic Federal Credit Union serves the employees who regularly work in local government in North Carolina, including municipal corporate and other legal entities. Civic's mission is to help improve the lives of members like you and to invest into the community you work so hard for. For more information, visit civicfcu.org.
As North Carolina’s statewide PBS network serving the country’s third-largest public media market, PBS NC educates, informs, entertains and inspires its statewide audience on-air, online and in-person. Through its unique partnership of public investment and private support, the statewide network includes in-person engagement, digital-first social and online content delivery, and four over-the-air channels—PBS NC, the North Carolina Channel, Rootle 24/7 PBS Kids and the Explorer Channel. Its transformational events and content spark curiosity and wonder for all North Carolinians. Additionally, PBS NC serves as the backbone for North Carolina’s state’s emergency services. Visit pbsnc.org and join the conversation at facebook.com/MyPBSNC and @MyPBSNC on Instagram and Twitter.
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Media Contacts:
Kathleen Kramer, PBS North Carolina Marketing & Communications
kkramer@pbsnc.org
919-549-7059