Leah N. Bartley
2008-2010 Fellow

Leah started at the Endowment in 2008 after receiving a master's in social work from the University of South Carolina. She completed her undergraduate work at N.C. State University, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in social work and a minor in Spanish. While at N.C. State, Leah pursued her interest in child welfare and advocacy by interning at Dorothea Dix Hospital, SAFEchild of N.C., Congressman Brad Miller's office and the National Association of Social Workers-N.C. Chapter. She also spent two summers studying social work and Spanish in Guatemala and Peru.

Leah's desire to be involved in direct service led her to Charleston, S.C., in June 2005, where she became a student support specialist for Communities in Schools of Charleston, a dropout prevention agency. During her three years there, she supervised an after-school program, developed workshops for parents, organized volunteers and solicited support from the business community.

Elizabeth J. Ireland
2007-2009 Fellow

Elizabeth joined The Duke Endowment in 2007 after graduating cum laude from Davidson College. At Davidson, she received Honors in Religion for her thesis on the religious experiences of Latin American migrants crossing the U.S.-Arizona border. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and helped lead Davidson's Room in the Inn program. During her junior year of college, she studied in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Elizabeth has recently developed an interest in environmental issues and enjoys exploring ways that the Endowment can promote sustainability. She also continues to pursue her immigration interests at the Endowment and has worked on projects with Latino ministries in North Carolina. Her capstone at the Endowment was a collaborative project with Rural Church and Health Care to improve Latino health in the Wilmington area. Elizabeth is continuing her education through a joint degree program at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in pursuit of a master's degree in public policy and a law degree.

Margaret B. Dillard
2006-2008 Fellow

Margaret came to the Endowment in 2006 after graduating from Duke University. While at Duke, Margaret created a self-designed major, "Social Justice and Civic Engagement: Focus on Children" and was very involved in the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership and with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle and the Durham Giving Project.

During her time as a Fellow, Margaret focused specifically on children's issues across her four rotations. Her capstone project was the development and implementation of a school-site vaccination program against cervical cancer in two counties in the Carolinas. Margaret is now associate director at Consilium Higher Education, a management consulting and executive search firm that works with colleges and universities.

Kisha Payton
2005-2007 Fellow

Kisha received her B.A. in English from Spelman College and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law. At Spelman, she was founder and president of the Atlanta University Center Council of Students. At Duke Law, Kisha was a member of the President's Council on Black Affairs and the Young Alumni Board, vice president of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association, and a student attorney in the Children's Education Law Clinic.

As the Endowment's inaugural fellow, Kisha helped develop the structure, policies and recruitment strategy for the program. In the Higher Education program area, she worked on special projects with the executive vice president of Johnson C. Smith University. In the Rural Church program area, she planned and led a two-day conference for Hispanic/Latino clergy and laity. Kisha also served as co-chair for the Emerging Leaders Working Group of the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers.

Kisha is now National Partnerships Manager at Citizen Schools.