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Charlotte native Mylon Patton is excited to be back in the Tar Heel State for his one-year role as the County Manager Fellow. The recent University of Chicago graduate will take on a number of important projects and aims to help make a difference here in Buncombe County. “The opportunity to be in my home state and work on initiatives that I am very passionate about is an incredible one,” exclaims Mylon. “I am honored to begin working to learn about the people, businesses, and communities that make Buncombe County great.”
After a competitive process, the County landed on Mylon for the position. “Staff had the opportunity to interview several candidates, and Mylon stood out as a clear favorite,” notes Assistant County Manager DK Wesley. “Mylon already has deep experience working in and connecting to community. He illustrated a clear sense of the role local government plays in the lives of people, and he demonstrated passion for public service and an ability to add value and expertise to the projects that were selected for the prospective fellow.”
Mylon double majored in Political Science and Economics with a minor in Human Rights and History. He also brings an impressive and diverse list of extracurricular and volunteer activities such as working with the Chicago Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, University Of Chicago Institute Of Politics, International Rescue Committee, and other community-oriented organizations. Mylon will be able to draw on all of those experiences as he works on important initiatives while collaborating with County staff. “I hope to learn from people and communities that have been serving Buncombe County for long before my arrival. With them, I hope to assist with improving the County by pursuing solutions to homelessness, implementing countywide apprenticeships, and making inroads towards racial equity,” explains Mylon.
Mylon officially started his year-long County Manager Fellow program on Aug. 1 and will be introduced to the Board of Commissioners during the Aug. 16 meeting.
More about the Americorp/Lead for North Carolina Fellow program
LFNC is a state affiliate of Lead for America, a nonpartisan fellowship program across the United States. Lead for America was launched in 2018, and LFNC is its first state affiliate program. The School of Government has partnered with key organizations, including the NC County Managers Association (NCCCMA), NC League of Municipalities (NCLM), and NC Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) to implement LFNC. The program’s goals include: strengthening NC’s local governments, creating future public sector leaders and transforming communities. How It Works: Lead for NC finds, trains and supports Fellows to work on selected community’s greatest needs. Those Fellows work as full-time employees and work on transformative projects.