Alumni Spotlight: Lynne Barbour

January 23, 2023 Staff

Please tell us what brought you to MALS? What was attractive about the degree?

I was attracted to the program because, as an adult learner, I did not have to take the GRE or GMAT. Additionally, I enjoyed the flexibility of designing my own educational pathway.

Tell us about your MALS concentration and culminating project. What was your concentration title? What significance did your concentration and project hold for you?

My degree concentration title was facility and program management. My final project was a summary of work I had been doing with a small university committee on the development of a true mixed-use facility on Centennial Campus. It was significant in that I was provided time and resources to complete my degree while supporting the committee’s mission of researching a plan for Centennial Campus development..

What are you doing currently? We’d love to know about your professional, personal, and/or volunteer activities.

I am the Deputy Director of the Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration at the NC Department of Public Instruction. Our main focus is using federal COVID relief funds to 1) design state-wide recovery programs for public school students, 2) provide high-level consultation services to school districts and charter schools on their strategic planning and expenditures of a specific % of their ESSER III funding that is federally mandated to be spent on interventions, 3) provide research and evaluation support to schools, and 4) evaluate the impact of specific federally-funded programs.

How has your MALS degree and experience with the program enhanced your work/life? In particular, what impact has your MALS training had on your career in higher education?

The degree program further fine-tuned my durable skills including workplace flexibility, intentional collaboration, and ability to find the answer. As a state employee who is federally funded, there are a lot of roadblocks and barriers. We are a “yes, and?” office which is both exciting and challenging. We strive to be solution providers and problem solvers. Having the ability to be self-motivated and data-driven are key to success in this role.