AIC Staff

Amy Locklear Hertel (amy_hertel@unc.edu)

Director

(919) 843-4189

Originally from Fayetteville, Locklear Hertel earned a bachelor of arts degree at UNC Chapel Hill in 1997. While at UNC, she served as president of the Carolina Indian Circle and was inducted into the Order of the Golden Fleece. She was also one of the founders of Alpha Pi Omega Sorority Inc., the country’s oldest Native American Greek letter organization.  Previously, she served as project manager of  the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is a doctoral candidate at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work. She earned her master of social work and law degrees at Washington University.  Amy, currently serves as a trustee for the G.A. Jr. and Kathryn M. Buder Charitable Foundation, which seeks to improve the social and economic conditions of American Indian families and communities. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Directors for the Community Investment Network, a nonprofit organization that encourages organizations and individuals to engage in strategic giving to enable greater social change in their communities.  Locklear Hertel, of the Lumbee and Coharie tribes of North Carolina, joined the University on May 1, 2012.  Amy resides in Chapel Hill with her husband Johann, an assistant professor in the UNC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and her two children Ava and Ahren.

 

Randi R. Byrd (rrbyrd@email.unc.edu

Program Assistant

(919) 843-5927

Ms. Byrd is currently aiding the Center as a Program Assistant for all special programs and events, with primary focus on the Tribal Leadership Workshop Series.  She joined the staff in April of 2009 as a part-time employee. Randi received her B.A. in Sociology in 2004 from Meredith College. During her undergraduate career, she volunteered with the NC Commission of Indian Affairs on various projects. Afterwards, she completed two service terms in AmeriCorps through the NC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities to assist the NC Commission of Indian Affairs with the Not-On-Tobacco Program, a culturally appropriate program for American Indians. She also assisted the Commission’s Community Services Program during this time. Ms. Byrd has worked with all of the American Indian communities (tribal and urban associations) in North Carolina on a combination of issues such as health and wellness, disease prevention, traditional knowledge, cultural preservation and strengthening sovereignty through grassroots inter-generational education and activism.  Ms. Byrd continues to serve as an advisor and community consultant on a projects related to American Indian health in collaboration with the UNC Center for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention. Recently, Ms. Byrd has been serving as a project director for the Healthy, Native North Carolinians grant with the NC Commission of Indian Affairs and Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.  Randi is member of the North Carolina Giant Vegetable Growers and grows giant competition pumpkins in her free time.

Photo Credits: Dan Sears, UNC Chapel Hill

 

AIC Welcomes New Student Ambassadors

The Ambassadors program is designed to aid students working at the Center with the skills, opportunities, and mentoring necessary to be successful in their personal development while here at Carolina.

Campus Engagement Ambassador – Taylor Wrencher ’16 (Lumbee) of Cameron, NC

  • Taylor will assist with the promotion of Center activities across the campus and NC Native communities.

Marketing Ambassador – Kayshel Trudell ’16 (Menominee/Oneida) of Cape Coral, FL

  • Kayshel will assist with the development, coordinating, and marketing of Center activities and events.

Program Ambassador – Avie Burns ’15 (Lumbee) of Lumberton, NC

  • Avie will assist with coordinating a variety of activities with other partners across campus and in NC Native communities.

Research Ambassador – Airianne Posey ’14 (Piscataway) of Fort Washington, MD

  • Airianne will assist with data collection and program evaluation of Center initiatives and grant projects.

Student Engagement Ambassador – Whitney Bullard ’13 (Lumbee) of Pembroke, NC

  • Whitney will assist with the development of a variety of student engagement programs, including the promotion of higher education and personal development.