Fellow Spotlight
Who or what inspired you to enter into public service?
I was fortunate to have two mentors who helped guide my journey through public service. My SUNY/Albany faculty advisor, Joe Zimmerman, arranged assistantships in a local city manager’s office and with the New York State budget division federal-state aid clearinghouse, which brought the material we covered in graduate public administration courses to life with real world applications. He showed me the value of a “pracademic” approach to public service. Joe helped me understand the dynamic world of intergovernmental relations, and introduced me to my other mentor, Dave Walker, assistant director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Dave offered me my first full-time job as an analyst and was a guide and colleague for several years.
What is your favorite class you ever taught or took, and why?
For ten years, I taught the introductory course in UNC’s MPA program. The course design included “The Great Debates in Public Administration,” where student debating teams made pro and con arguments about some of the enduring issues and tension points in the field, like the growing number of political appointees, the value of citizen engagement and empowerment strategies, and accountability impacts of “government by proxy.” Seeing students wrestle with understanding complex issues, arguing a position persuasively, and reacting to peer feedback were among my most memorable moments.
What advice would you give to those interested in pursuing public policy or public administration as a career?
First, find a mentor. Second, find internships inside and outside of your career comfort zone. Third, find positions that provide flexibility, mobility, and balance. Fourth, find opportunities to engage in transformative work even if failure is a possibility.
What area of public policy interests you the most and why?
Intergovernmental relations, especially at the local and state levels, where governments are working in collaboration and across sectors to tackle wicked problems and improve people’s lives.
What is your favorite cuisine?
North Carolina seafood– of course!
What is your favorite hobby or activity that you enjoy doing in your free time?
I’ve long been passionate about old cars. For over twenty years, a July highlight has been volunteering in the paddock during the Greater Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Pittsburgh is my hometown, and the PVGP is an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family and brush up on my “Pittsburghese” local dialect, featuring terms like Yinz and Stillers.
What was your dream job as a child?
I was influenced by the Perry Mason television series and thought I wanted to be a lawyer who could help individuals with their legal problems. That interest lasted until I was introduced to the intergovernmental relations field.
Carl Stenberg is the James E. Holshouser Jr. Distinguished Professor of Public Administration and Government at the School of Government, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, serving as instructor in and former director of the MPA program and founder and lead faculty member of the Public Executive Leadership Academy. He is co-author of Managing Local Government: An Essential Guide for Municipal and County Managers. Prior to joining UNC in 2003, he was dean of the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts at the University of Baltimore, director of the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia, executive director of the Council of State Governments, and assistant director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Elected NAPA Fellow in 1984, he is a former chair of the board of directors, and served as past president of the American Society for Public Administration. He received the 2025 Elmer B. Staats Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Public Service from ASPA. He received his BA from Allegheny College and his MPA and PhD from the State University of New York at Albany.