UNC 'Lead for North Carolina fellow summarizes year of projects including Citizens Academy and microtransit
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Summary
Carla Huggins, the city's Lead for North Carolina fellow placed at High Point, briefed the committee on a year of work: a listening tour, preparations for a fall Citizens Academy, and the launch of a supplemental microtransit service called HBTS Go.
Carla Huggins, a Lead for North Carolina fellow working in High Point under a UNC School of Government fellowship, presented a year-in-review to the Transparency, Engagement and Communication Committee on May 21.
Huggins said her fellowship runs from Aug. 1 through June 30 and places recent graduates in local governments for 11 months. She described three major projects: a city Citizens Academy (branded High 0.101), a supplemental microtransit service (HBTS Go), and participation in the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative work stream focused on furniture and design economic opportunities.
The Citizens Academy work began with a listening tour and research on academy models. Huggins told the committee she developed an eight-week model with 13 participating departments and spent months coordinating departmental sessions, application materials and session goals so the program can launch in September.
On microtransit, Huggins said she researched national and North Carolina models, helped workshop operations and policy details with transit leadership, and supported the service that went live in early April. She described HBTS Go as a supplemental service that does not replace fixed routes but extends service for residents with limited access, including curb-to-curb pick-ups and connections to existing bus routes. She said staff prepared a frequently asked questions page covering fares, booking, equipment and policies.
Huggins also summarized High Point staff participation in the Bloomberg Harvard program, noting a cross‑departmental team has spent months on classes, ideation and interviews to advance the mayor’s priority to expand year‑round economic opportunities tied to furniture and design.
Huggins thanked city staff for access to meetings and data and said she looks forward to continued work; the committee offered praise for her contributions. No formal action or vote was taken on her presentation.
Huggins’s presentation identified the Lead for North Carolina program as an AmeriCorps initiative housed at the UNC School of Government and said her cohort included 38 fellows serving host sites across the state.