Welcome to Student Leadership and Engagement
Find meaningful opportunities at NC State
Student Involvement Center Hours
Monday-Thursday | 9 a.m.-10 p.m.
Friday | 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Suite 4210 in Talley Student Union
Mainline Telephone: 919-515-2797
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Our Mission
Student Leadership and Engagement’s mission is to facilitate and connect students to meaningful leadership development, campus involvement, and civic and community engagement opportunities. We promote student engagement as a critical component of the educational experience. We create and connect students to opportunities to gain knowledge, skills, tools, and experiences to practice socially responsible leadership and positively contribute to a world that is socially just for all people.
Working Areas
Working Areas
Civic and Community Engagement
Alternative Service Break (ASB) experiences connect students with direct service opportunities around the state, country, and abroad. In 2019-2020, the ASB program had over 300 participants traveling to 23 experiences during fall, winter, and spring breaks. Go to page…
Point Person: Adam Culley
Contact: alculley@ncsu.edu
Pack the Polls is NC State’s voter engagement coalition connecting students with voting resources and advocating for early voting sites on campus. In fall 2020, NC State University hosted an early voting site at which over 21,000 voters cast their ballots. Go to page…
Point Person: Brian Mathis
Contact: bjmathis@ncsu.edu
Student Leadership and Engagement offers three academic courses which can be taken in various semesters:
- USC 291 – Service Learning Program Leader Development I
- USC 292 – Service Learning Program Leader Development II
- USC 298 – Introduction to Civic Engagement and Social Change
Point Person: Brian Mathis
Contact: bjmathis@ncsu.edu
Commonly referred to as the Service Site, this resource connects the student body with service opportunities on and off campus. Started in 2018, this portal for service now houses opportunities with over 90 organizations in the Triangle region. Go to page…
Point Person: Brian Mathis
Contact: bjmathis@ncsu.edu
Established in 2012, Feed the Pack Food Pantry is a resource for the NC State community for nutritional and hygiene needs. Feed the Pack has regular hours each week during the academic year. Go to page…
Point People: Dana Petre, Ameen Ahmad, and Rose Krebs
Contact: feedthepackpantry@ncsu.edu
North Carolina Campus Compact is a collaborative network of colleges and universities committed to educating students for civic and social responsibility, partnering with communities for positive change, and strengthening democracy. Student Leadership and Engagement is an active member of this network.
Point Person: Brian Mathis
Contact: bjmathis@ncsu.edu
Engagement and Activities
Student Leadership and Engagement offers multiple opportunities through the Student Internship Program for students to gain valuable working experience while developing as leaders.
Positions open for this summer and next academic year include: Student Engagement, leadership development, civic and community engagement, social media, communications, graphic design, and Feed the Pack Food Pantry interns.
Contact:
- Student Engagement Interns
Dominique Jones at dsboyd@ncsu.edu - Leadership Development Interns
Sergio Madera-Garcia at smadera@ncsu.edu - Civic and Community Engagement Interns
Brian Mathis at bjmathis@ncsu.edu - Marketing Interns
Colin Beamer at cbbeamer@ncsu.edu - Feed the Pack Food Panty Interns
Dana Petre at dmpetre@ncsu.edu
The University Activities Board (UAB) is NC State’s premiere activities and programming board. UAB is a student-led organization that plans both original and traditional events to attract students from all backgrounds. Comprised of five distinct committees, UAB puts on programs with endless and ever-changing topics. The organization strives to enhance the student experience by providing fun and informative campus programs to give students a break from academics. Go to University Activities Board page…
Point Person: Jordyn Williams
Contact: jcwill16@ncsu.edu
Student Engagement Interns are paid student staff who receive career-ready experience by supporting suite operations in the Woodward Student Involvement Center, assist with various programs, and support student organization education and management.
Student Engagement Interns are led by the Student Engagement Intern Coordinator who oversees the critical departmental services the team provides.
Point Person: Dominique Jones
Contact: dsboyd@ncsu.edu
Student Government was founded in 1921 as a student-run organization that serves as the official voice of the student body. Founded and funded by students, the NC State University Student Government encourages students to express their concerns and ideas, promotes an environment of open discourse and academic excellence, and proactively represents the student voice to the University administration and Board of Trustees through ethical and accountable public service. Go to Student Government page…
Point Person: Kelly Barley
Contact: krbarley@ncsu.edu
Student Leadership and Engagement coordinates Student Organization Management and Development by connecting students with ways to get involved on campus. Professional staff in our office are on hand to assist with every step, including how to start an organization, registration, advising, finance, policy compliance, space management, student leadership development, and much more. Our office also operates a Student Organization newsletter to distribute important information to the over 700 organizations on campus. Click here to explore organizations…
Point Person: Darrius Barrow
Contact: dcbarrow@ncsu.edu
Leadership Development
The Leadership Development Program is a comprehensive certificate program designed to be completed in one semester by NC State students. Participants attend 10 core workshops on various leadership topics facilitated by faculty, staff, and guests of the university, engage in a leadership experience (existing or new), identify a coach, and finally complete a reflection paper. Upon the completion of these steps, the participants receive their certificate of completion. See more…
Point Person: Sergio Madera-Garcia
Contact: smadera@ncsu.edu
Formerly, Student Involvement and Leadership and Civic Engagement maintained a variety of awards and honors bestowed on students annually. As a part of this new department’s commitment to celebrating student leadership and engagement, our office will be examining and updating our awards to ensure students are recognized for their exceptional achievements in the areas of leadership, civic engagement, service, and involvement activities. More information about awards will be available at a later date.
Point Person:
Contact:
The Gallup CliftonStrengths themes are your talent DNA. They explain the ways you most naturally think, feel, and behave. Our team has multiple Gallup Strengths coaches who can get you started with your assessment, provide coaching and resources, and help you better understand your themes. Contact our team via email for more information.
Our CliftonStrengths Coaches
- Darrius Barrow (he/him/his) – dcbarrow@ncsu.edu
- Adam Culley (he/him/his) – alculley@ncsu.edu
Student Leadership and Engagement promotes the philosophy that everyone is a leader and can practice responsible leadership regardless of position or experience. Part of this commitment involves providing student leaders access to leadership development opportunities. Our office is in the process of curating these opportunities for student organizations and student leaders across the university. More information about student leadership development will be available at a later date.
Point People: Sergio Madera-Garcia
Contact: smadera@ncsu.edu
Our Team
Our Team

Michele Kurtz, Interim Director/Associate Director (she/her/hers)
Email: mskurtz@ncsu.edu
Telephone: 919-515-5168
Working Areas: Operations, Assessment, Student Employees, Student Government
About: Michele Joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team in September 2018. In her role, Michele supports various areas including operations of the Student Involvement Center, department assessment efforts, the student employee program, and supports Student Government by serving on the advising team. Michele is an enthusiastic student affairs practitioner who leads with empathy and compassion and feels deeply connected to building a sense of belonging and community on campus.
Prior to joining NC State, Michele served as the Assistant Director for Student Organizations and Programs at Wake Forest University where she oversaw student organization management, advised the student programming board, and supported leadership and risk management training.
Michele obtained both her bachelor’s degree in communication studies and master’s degree in educational leadership from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania where she was heavily involved in her programming board, orientation, and club sports. Michele can still be found playing soccer a few nights a week around Raleigh.

Brian Mathis, Associate Director (he/him/his)
Email: bjmathis@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Civic and Community Engagement, Community Partnerships and Service, Election Engagement, Feed the Pack
About: Brian, a 2009 alum of NC State, joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team in 2016. In his role, Brian provides vision and leadership for civic engagement initiatives, cultivates partnerships with non-profit partners and community organizations in the area, and supports the Feed the Pack Food Pantry. Since arriving at NC State, Brian has implemented the online service platform used to connect NC State students with meaningful civic engagement opportunities in the Triangle, coordinates voting and election engagement efforts at NC State, and created and teaches the USC 298 Civic Engagement and Social Change course. He also provides leadership for the Civic Action Network, Active Citizenry Series, and Mystery Service Saturdays.
Prior to joining NC State, Brian worked at UC Santa Barbara, Georgetown University and earned his Master’s of College Student Personnel from Bowling Green State University and completed an internship at University of San Francisco. Brian also holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from NC State (GO PACK!).

Darrius Barrow, Associate Director (he/him/his)
Email: dcbarrow@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Student Organization Management, University Activities Board
About: Darrius joined NC State in May of 2019. He serves as Associate Director for Student Leadership and Engagement where he works with student organization management, registration, and development. He also assists with the University Activities Board. Prior to coming to NC State, Darrius spent five years at East Carolina University as the lead advisor for the programming board. Darrius is an active member of the National Association of Campus Activities (NACA) where he has written a number of articles and given presentations. He is a native of Eastern North Carolina that is focused and intentional in his efforts to improve the experience for the NC State student population.

Kelly Barley, Assistant Director (he/him/his)
Email: krbarley@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Student Government
About: Kelly joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team in July 2020. In his role, Kelly’s primary focus is serving as advisor for Student Government (SG). In this role, he works closely with the Student Body Officers and the other members of SG to push forward SG initiatives, provide guidance over best practices for student advocacy, coordinate co-curricular activities, and support all areas of SG operations. He is also certified as a Career Identity Advocate at NC State.
Prior to joining NC State, Kelly spent two years managing the MSQM: Health Analytics Program at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, helping to successfully launch the program in September 2018 and working closely with students during their time in the program. Before that, he spent five years working in the Full-Time MBA Program at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. He also spent seven years coaching high school boys basketball at three different schools.
Kelly has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon where he was heavily involved in Student Orientation Programs, as well as a Master’s in Teaching from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Adam Culley, Assistant Director (he/him/his)
Email: alculley@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Alternative Service Break, Gallup CliftonStrengths
About: Adam has been a part of the Student Leadership and Engagement team since 2006 and is responsible for the Alternative Service Break program. With 22 program partnerships throughout the year, he is responsible for the selection of team leaders, training of advisors, and coordination of all travel logistics. Adam has developed and instructs a 3-credit course for team leaders to train and prepare them for all aspects of trip planning including budgeting, risk and safety, reflection, and critical thinking. He also works with the global community partners as well as campus partners to ensure that a high level of learning takes place in a safe environment.
Adam is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach who provides team building and leadership training to the campus community and beyond. He enjoys the development of leadership potential in others. Adam is also active on a number of committees on campus and supports the collaboration of all Leadership and Civic Engagement programming.
Adam is a native of Iowa, but is proud to call North Carolina his home.

Jordyn Williams, Coordinator (she/her/hers)
Email: jcwill16@ncsu.edu
Telephone: (919) 515-4695
Working Areas: University Activities Board
About: Jordyn is a proud alumna of NC State, having received her B.A in Psychology in 2019 with a minor in Spanish and her M.Ed in Higher Education Administration in May 2022. Jordyn joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team in June 2022 and is serving as the co-advisor of the University Activities Board (UAB). Her previous involvement as a student leader on the University Activities Board from 2016-2019 introduced her to the world of student affairs and ignited her passion for student programming and campus activities. Jordyn is committed to holistic student support through building authentic relationships with students and meeting them where they are. She is a deep empath who values relationship building and mentorship, using a human centered approach in all that she does.
Jordyn’s favorite part about her work is witnessing, guiding, and empowering students to grow both personally and professionally through autonomous leadership, and being a part of an organization that creates fun and memorable experiences for students across campus. Jordyn also has prior experience in new student orientation, residential learning, and student leadership development.

Lateesha Watkins, Coordinator (she/her/hers)
Email: lewatki3@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: University Activities Board

Rose Krebs, Feed the Pack Food Pantry Coordinator (she/her/hers)
Email: rkrebs@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Feed the Pack Food Pantry
About: Rose joined Student Leadership and Engagement in July 2022. She is an alum of NC State who graduated in 2021 with her Bachelors of Science in Microbiology. During her time as an undergraduate she served on the Feed the Pack Student Leadership Team and participated in the Leadership Development Program. Her experiences with Student Leadership and Engagement inspired her to return as the Feed the Pack Food Pantry Program Coordinator. As Program Coordinator, Rose manages the day to day operations of Feed the Pack and serves as a liaison between the Student Leadership Team and partners both on and off campus. She also mentors the Student Leadership Team and works with Student Leadership and Engagement to create and implement long term goals for Feed the Pack. She looks forward to working with Feed the Pack’s partners and expanding the resources available at Feed the Pack.

Taylor Sligh, Feed the Pack Food Pantry AmeriCorps VISTA (she/her/hers)
Email: tsligh@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Feed the Pack Food Pantry
About: Taylor recently joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team in July 2022. Before coming to NC State, Taylor graduated from Wingate University in May 2022 with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in Spanish. Her undergraduate involvement sparked her interest in non-profit work, with the AmeriCorps program being a great way to gain experience in said field. As the AmeriCorps VISTA, Taylor helps build capacity for the food pantry. Capacity building takes many forms, such as fundraising, broadening the pantry’s educational services, raising awareness about food insecurity, and deepening and expanding community partnerships. In addition to these responsibilities, Taylor supports and mentors the Feed the Pack Student Leadership team. So far in her role, Taylor has learned a wealth of knowledge about food security work, and how to work collaboratively and effectively with one’s community. She looks forward to expanding Feed the Pack’s partnerships and engagement both within and outside of our campus community during the rest of her service year.

Dominique Jones, Office Manager (she/her/hers)
Email: dsboyd@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Student Engagement Intern Program, Office Administration
About:

Wanya Ward, Graduate Assistant (he/him/his)
Email: wtward3@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Civic Engagement Initiatives (Active Citizenry Series, Pack the Polls)
About: Wanya is a M.Ed Higher Education Administration candidate who joined the team during the Fall 2021 semester. His primary responsibilities include advising the Pack the Poll Ambassadors, a student group focused on non-partisan voter engagement and advocacy, planning and implementing the Active Citizenry Series, a series of programs aimed at highlighting ways students can become more informed and engaged in their communities, and helping oversee the Mystery Service Saturday team.
Prior to arriving at NC State, Wanya attending the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, graduating in the Fall of 2020. While there, Wanya participated in various leadership development activities, serving as a peer leadership educator, co-teaching a leadership class, and serving as a resident advisor. He is extremely passionate about serving all students, and is here however he can assist!

Sergio Madera-Garcia, Graduate Assistant (he/him/his)
Email: smadera@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Leadership Development Program, One-Time Workshop Series
About: Sergio is a M.Ed Higher Education Administration candidate at NC State and recently joined the Student Leadership and Engagement team in June 2022. His role includes overseeing the Leadership Development Program and One-Time Workshops, where he provides opportunities for NC State students to expand and hone in on their leadership skills and strengths, while fostering an enriching and inclusive environment for students of all identities and communities. His passion for higher education stems from his involvement during his undergrad and the caffeine he gets from students.
Before arriving at NC State, Sergio attended the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies with a double minor in Spanish and Leadership Studies. After graduating, he stayed at his alma mater to work in the diversity, equity, and inclusion field at the Hispanic/Latinx Center, Centro Hispano, where he served as the Program Assistant and Translator. Sergio is also actively involved in his fraternity, Alpha Psi Lambda National, Inc. Having served as a Chapter Director, he now oversees the entire southeast region of the country as a Regional Director.

Kallie Menard, Graduate Assistant (she/her/hers)
Email: sggradassist@ncsu.edu
Working Areas: Student Government
About: Kallie joined the Student Leadership and Development Squad in Spring 2022. In her role, Kallie serves on the advising team for Student Government. In this role, she works closely with the SLE Student Government Advising Team, Student Body Officers and the other members of SG to mentor and support the students within the program.
Prior to NC State, Kallie graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in May of 2022 with a Family and Consumer Sciences degree and an emphasis in High School Education. During her undergraduate career, she gained experience in Fraternity Sorority Life, Office of Admissions Tour Guide Program, Orientation, Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society, Leadership Development, and held many campus leadership positions. Kallie is now pursuing her Master Degree in Higher Education Administration here at NC State, Go Pack!
Questions
Contact our office via email at ncstate-sle@ncsu.edu or call our mainline number in the Student Involvement Center at 919-515-2797.