NCLM Director S. Ellis Hankins announces

Legislative Director

I am pleased to announce today the appointment of Kelli H. Kukura as legislative director for the North Carolina League of Municipalities. Kukura, currently the senior team manager for DuPont Operations Public Affairs, will begin work in mid-September. As legislative director, she will coordinate our advocacy efforts and serve as our primary state legislative lobbyist. A major part of her responsibilities will be to assist municipal officials in building and strengthening their relationships with legislators and educating legislators about municipal needs and concerns.

Kelli Kukura has more than 20 years of experience with DuPont in government and public affairs positions. For the past six years, she has served as senior team manager for DuPont Operations Public Affairs, providing public affairs leadership for more than 80 DuPont locations in the United States. From 1998 through April 2002, she was state government and public affairs manager for DuPont for North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, and was responsible for the company's lobbying in the N.C. General Assembly. Kukura also served as a state government and public affairs manager for DuPont in Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina from 1994-1998. Her other positions with the company were as a public affairs specialist and public affairs representative.

Kukura is a graduate of West Virginia University with a B.S. in public affairs/public relations and an M.S. in industrial and labor relations. She is the recipient of several DuPont Significant Accomplishment Awards and the first recipient of the DuPont Specialties Flagship Award.

Kelli Kukura brings to the League very strong experience in government affairs, advocacy, lobbying, consensus building, communications and issues management. She will be a valuable addition to our current advocacy team. Andy Romanet, Kim Hibbard, Anita Watkins, John Phelps, Gregg Schwitzgebel, Karl Knapp and others will continue their dedicated and hard work to achieve your priorities.

Kelli will attend our Centennial Conference in Charlotte, Oct. 12-14, and all of you who attend will have the opportunity to meet her. She also will be traveling around the state to meet with municipal officials and legislators, and I hope you will welcome her to your city or town soon.

Currently, Andrew Romanet, the League's general counsel, has the responsibilities of overseeing our legal services to municipalities and the organization, as well as our policy development and advocacy efforts. Because of the growing complexity of issues and volume of work in these areas, the NCLM Board of Directors decided to separate the duties. Andy will continue as the League's general counsel and will play an active role in our advocacy efforts, but will not be our primary lobbyist. He has done excellent work on your behalf and will continue to do so. The addition of the position of legislative director will enhance our capacity to assist you in making your views heard in the legislature and in other public forums.

Ellis Hankins, NCLM Executive Director
August 12, 2008