Today, the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management (OSBM) announced that 42 public servants from 13 state agencies have successfully completed the 2026 Performance Management Academy (PMA) Foundations course, gaining practical skills to strengthen government programs, improve decision-making, and deliver better outcomes for North Carolinians.
The PMA is a professional development program designed to help state employees develop expertise in operational excellence and evidence-based management practices. Through training, peer learning, and collaboration opportunities, participants gain tools they can immediately apply to improve the effectiveness of programs and services across state government.
"The PMA directly reflects our commitment to strengthening the capabilities and effectiveness of government agencies," said David Yokum, OSBM's chief scientist. "As a program, the PMA builds and sharpens a variety of skillsets that include logic modeling, delivering with agile techniques, and using randomized controlled trials to learn about causal impact. Participants can apply these skills in their daily work and, in turn, improve the results they deliver for North Carolinians."
As the academy's introductory course, PMA Foundations equips participants with practical strategies for improving program design, implementation, and evaluation. During six interactive sessions totaling approximately 30 hours of instruction, participants explored strategic planning, logic models, performance measurement, agile implementation methods, artificial intelligence, and approaches for evaluating causal impact.
This year's cohort represented agencies responsible for public safety, health care, transportation, environmental protection, education, and government operations. The diverse group created opportunities for participants to learn from colleagues across state government, exchange best practices, and build lasting professional networks focused on improving public service.
Graduates said the course provided valuable skills and perspectives that can be applied immediately in their work. "PMA is for everyone and not just for certain organizations. The concepts are amazing and so are the guest speakers,” said one participant. “Best government training I’ve taken in 20 years in government work," said another.
The PMA is designed for state employees at all career stages who want to strengthen their ability to solve problems, measure results, manage programs, and lead continuous improvement efforts. Whether employees work in policy, budgeting, operations, program management, or service delivery, the academy provides practical tools to help them make a greater impact in their agencies and communities.
The OSBM congratulates the following graduates of the 2026 PMA Foundations course:
- Devon Adams, Department of Public Safety
- PK Barua, Department of Public Safety
- Richard Basteri, Department of Health and Human Services
- Christina Beck, Department of Public Safety
- Danyae Bellamy, Office of State Budget and Management
- Katie Brewer, Administrative Office of the Courts
- Bailey Bruce, Office of State Human Resources
- Amanda Cannon, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Colie Cashwell, Office of State Human Resources
- Meghan Chua, Department of Public Safety
- Leighann Corbin, Department of Health and Human Services
- Jonathan Davis, State Highway Patrol
- Sonya Laney Davis, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Kelly A. Eubank, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Kim Ferry, Department of Health and Human Services
- Yalonda Fowler, Department of Adult Correction
- Shaun Gann, Department of Adult Correction
- Joy Garretson, Department of Information Technology
- Marcus Gulley, Office of State Human Resources
- Alicia Hunter, Department of Health and Human Services
- Mary Huntley, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Brenda Jernigan, Department of Health and Human Services
- Sandrea Jiggetts, Department of Transportation
- Brittany Johnson, Department of Revenue
- Ranya Johnson, Department of Transportation
- Crystal Jones, Department of Administration
- Joel Jordan, Office of State Human Resources
- Erin Lewandowski, Department of Public Safety
- Sharon Marsalis, Department of Public Safety
- Natalie McInerney, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Petra Mozzetti, Department of Health and Human Services
- Christie Norris, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Tina Redfearn, Department of Health and Human Services
- Mahnaz Rouhani, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Catherine Rubin, Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
- Daniel Sater, Department of Environmental Quality
- Alice Saunders, Office of State Budget and Management
- Diane Upshaw, Administrative Office of the Courts
- Unika Valentine, Office of State Budget and Management
- Megan Webster, Department of Public Safety
- Ali Wehbi, Department of Administration
- Lizzie Yelverton, Department of Public Instruction
Learn more about the academy and upcoming opportunities on the OSBM website.