Anita Brown-Graham

Anita Brown-Graham

Law Professor and Director, ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government, The Thrive Rural Framework: Connecting Rural Development, Health, and Opportunity

Anita R. Brown-Graham rejoined the UNC School of Government in 2016 to lead ncIMPACT— a special initiative that seeks to expand the School’s capacity to work with public officials on complex policy issues. ncIMPACT has devised programs to support communities working on economic mobility, poverty, the expansion of pre-k and opioid misuse. Brown-Graham’s first tour as a faculty member was from 1994–2006, when she specialized in governmental liability and community economic development. In 2007 Anita became the director of the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University. There, she led IEI’s work to build North Carolina’s capacity for economic development and prosperity. She is a William C. Friday Fellow, American Marshall Fellow, and Eisenhower Fellow. In 2013, the White House named her a Champion of Change for her work at IEI. Anita earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.