Anita Brown-Graham

Professor, ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government

Anita Brown-Graham is the founder and director of the ncIMPACT Initiative at the UNC School of Government, a special initiative that seeks to expand the School’s capacity to work with public officials on complex policy issues including economic mobility, the expansion of prekindergarten, and extending the labor pool. She previously taught at the School from 1994 to 2006, specializing in governmental liability and economic development aimed at revitalizing communities. Anita served as director of the Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University from 2007-2016, where she led efforts to build North Carolina’s capacity for economic development and prosperity, working with business, government and higher education leaders from across the state.

Anita began her career as a law clerk in the Eastern District of California. She is a William C. Friday Fellow, an American Marshall Fellow, and an Eisenhower Fellow. The White House named her a 2013 Champion of Change for her work at IEI, and the Triangle Business Journal named her both a 2014 Woman in Business for her policy leadership in the state and a 2017 CEO of the year. Anita serves on the boards of several organizations, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina. She earned an undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University and a law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill.