NC Local

Shannan Bowen has worked at the intersection of product, editorial and business development through her career, with a focus on local news and serving her home state of North Carolina. Before building and launching NC Local, she led the NC Local News Workshop, a journalism support organization for North Carolina’s news ecosystem. Shannan began her career as a local news reporter before moving into roles focused on audience development and product strategy. She has also coached newsrooms on community listening, product, design thinking and audience engagement. Shannan is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and holds a Master’s in Media Entrepreneurship from American University. She lives with her family in Wilmington, N.C., but is often found traveling across the state from coast to mountains.

Una Kelley leads NC Local’s fundraising and development plans. She previously served as the Director of Philanthropic Development at The Associated Press, where she led a team focused on partnerships and institutional fund development. Before entering the journalism field, Una’s career was at a variety of philanthropic, philanthropic support and nonprofit organizations.

Catherine Komp leads NC Local’s partnership network, community listening, and other engagement initiatives. Previously, Catherine spent more than 20 years in nonprofit news in editorial and leadership roles, with a focus on collaborations and community-engaged journalism and storytelling.

Laura Lee leads NC Local’s statewide newsroom and other editorial initiatives. She is a journalist and former attorney and previously served as news director at Blue Ridge Public Radio, the NPR affiliate for Western North Carolina. In late 2024, she managed the organization’s award-winning coverage of Hurricane Helene, the most devastating storm in the state’s history.