A Guide of Local Figures to Know In the Orange County Community

Are you unsure of who your mayor might be? Or other public figures within our community? Use this guide to help you out! Learn more about each person so you can stay up-to-date on some of the local decision-makers — and so you can say hello to them as your neighbors!

Local Government

Chapel Hill Mayor: Jess Anderson

First Elected: 2023

Anderson’s background is in public policy, as she works as a professor of the practice managing the MPP capstone program for the university in addition to serving as mayor. She served on the Chapel Hill Town Council for two four-year terms before running for mayor.

Carrboro Mayor: Barbara Foushee

First Elected: 2023

Foushee’s election served as a historic moment for the Town of Carrboro, as she is the first Black woman to hold the office of mayor and just the second Black leader in the role following Robert Drakeford. She is also married to the first Black elected official in town history (Braxton Foushee). Professionally, Foushee works in clinical laboratory sciences and is a senior technologist for a molecular oncology lab in the Research Triangle Park. She has served in public office since 2017, serving one and a half terms on Carrboro’s town council before running for mayor.

Hillsborough Mayor: Mark Bell

First Elected: 2023

With a professional background in healthcare and information technology, Bell first joined the Hillsborough Board of Commissioners in 2015. After serving two four-year terms, he ran for mayor as Jenn Weaver stepped away from elected office and won his 2023 election unopposed. Bell is also a former member of the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Chair of the Orange County Commissioners: Jamezetta Bedford

First Elected: 2018 — Chair of the Board since 2023

Bedford is an elected Democrat and Chapel Hill resident, who served 12 years of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education before making the jump to the county government’s board of commissioners. She has a professional background in pension planning and accounting, along with years of substitute teaching with the school district, and is an advocate for citizens with disabilities as the parent of a child with autism.

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UNC-Chapel Hill

UNC Chancellor: Lee Roberts

First Appointed: January 2024 (interim) — August 2024 (permanent)

Roberts joined the Carolina community after serving on the UNC System Board of Governors, being tabbed by President Peter Hans to fill the role after Kevin Guskiewicz departed UNC for Michigan State at the end of 2023. With a background in finance and private investment, he was selected for the permanent role after a nationwide search and sworn in as UNC’s 13th chancellor in October 2024. As chancellor, Roberts functions as the executive and administrative leader for the Chapel Hill campus — focusing on the affairs of the UNC students, faculty and staff while implementing the policies for the school’s Board of Trustees and UNC System’s Board of Governors.

UNC Football Head Coach: Bill Belichick

First Hired: 2024

Belichick came to UNC after a decorated career in the NFL, in which he won six Super Bowl championships as head coach of the New England Patriots. He was hired in December of 2024, following the dismissal of former head coach Mack Brown. This is Belichick’s first collegiate coaching role.

UNC Men’s Basketball Head Coach: Hubert Davis

First Hired: 2021

A longtime assistant of legendary UNC head coach Roy Williams, Davis ascended to the head coaching role following Williams’ retirement in 2021. Not only is this Davis’ first head coaching role at any level, but he is also the first Black head coach in the history of the men’s basketball program. Davis was also a standout player for head coach Dean Smith in the 1980s and 1990s.

UNC Women’s Basketball Head Coach: Courtney Banghart

First Hired: 2019

A former National Coach of the Year award winner at Princeton, Banghart came to UNC in 2019 following the retirement of head coach Sylvia Hatchell. Under Banghart, the Tar Heels have embarked on their longest run of sustained success in years.

UNC Baseball Head Coach: Scott Forbes

First Hired: 2020

Forbes was named head coach of the Diamond Heels following the retirement of longtime head coach Mike Fox in 2020. Forbes, a former Fox assistant, has continued Fox’s tradition of success in Chapel Hill. He was named ACC Coach of the Year in 2024 and led UNC to the Men’s College World Series in Omaha that summer.

UNC Field Hockey Head Coach: Erin Matson

First Hired: 2023

One of the most decorated college athletes in the history of UNC, Matson was then named the field hockey program’s head coach in 2023 following the retirement of Karen Shelton – and just two months after Matson graduated. Matson then won a national title in her first year as head coach.

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