Job Details

Position Overview

Leadership Asheville is UNC Asheville’s flagship community leadership development program, bringing together leaders from across sectors to strengthen Asheville and Western North Carolina through collaboration, civic engagement, and service.

The Leadership Asheville Student Fellow supports the planning, coordination, and delivery of Leadership Asheville programs and events. This position provides a student with hands-on experience in leadership development, community engagement, event management, communications, and nonprofit/program administration.

The Leadership Asheville Student Fellow is designed to be more than a traditional student employment position. While the Fellow will provide important operational support for Leadership Asheville programs, they will also be treated as an emerging professional and active member of the Leadership Asheville team. The Fellow will have opportunities to attend and participate in Leadership Asheville programming, build relationships with leaders from across the region, and gain firsthand exposure to the organizations, issues, and systems shaping Western North Carolina. Whenever possible, projects will include meaningful ownership rather than simply task completion, giving the Fellow opportunities to contribute ideas, solve problems, and see projects through from planning to execution. The experience will also include regular mentorship and reflection with the Executive Director, connecting the Fellow’s day-to-day work to their own leadership development and professional goals

Primary Responsibilities

Program Support

• Assist with planning and coordination for Leadership Asheville programs, including the Flagship Program, Executive Directors Roundtable, Leadership Asheville Forum and special events. Including preparation of program materials.

• Attend Leadership Asheville programs and events to provide on-site support and create a welcoming, organized, and professional experience for participants and guests.

Communications & Marketing

• Assist with drafting and scheduling social media and other program communications.

• Help maintain Leadership Asheville website content and event information.

• Assist with collecting photographs, participant stories, quotes, and other content from programs and events.

• Help develop simple promotional and program materials using Canva or similar tools.

Administrative & Organizational Support

• Maintain organized electronic program files and shared documents.

• Assist with spreadsheets, contact lists, registration information, and program databases.

• Conduct occasional research related to speakers, community organizations, leadership programs, and program topics.

• Assist with surveys, evaluations, and basic program data collection.

What the Student Will Learn

This position is designed to be more than an administrative job. The Student Program Fellow will have an opportunity to learn about:

• Leadership development and group facilitation

• Community engagement and civic leadership

• Asheville and Western North Carolina organizations and community systems

• Professional communications and relationship management

• Cross-sector collaboration among nonprofit, business, government, education, and community leaders

• The operations of a university-based community leadership program

• Event and program management

The student will be encouraged to participate in portions of Leadership Asheville programming and engage with community leaders as part of their professional development The Student Fellow will be considered a member of the Flagship cohort and upon completion of the program be awarded the distinction of Leadership Asheville Alumni.

Qualifications

Required

• Current UNC Asheville student in good academic standing

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Dependability and ability to follow through on assigned responsibilities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to interact professionally with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and organizations

• Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines

• Willingness to learn new technology and systems

• Ability to work independently while also collaborating as part of a small team

• Means of reliable transportation to off campus programs located throughout Buncombe County

Preferred

• Interest in leadership, community engagement, communications, event management, nonprofit management, business, public service, or a related field

• Experience with Canva, social media, email marketing, event registration platforms, or CRM/database systems

• Previous experience supporting events, student organizations, campus programs, or community organizations

• Interest in committing to both fall and spring terms