NC Office of Strategic Partnerships team

Eliza Edwards, Deputy Director

As Deputy Director, Eliza oversees OSP operations to ensure the team is successful in identifying, developing, launching, and enhancing partnerships between state agencies and non-governmental partners. She also plays a critical role in doing this work. Other aspects of her role include providing leadership to and support for OSP’s portfolio of cross-sector research partnerships; coordinating and managing a range of OSP meetings/convenings and communications deliverables; managing OSP’s intern program; providing supervisory support to the Director of OSP; representing OSP at speaking engagements/presentations; and contributing to OSP’s overall strategic planning and implementation efforts. Prior to joining OSP, Eliza was a member of North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s policy team. 

Click here to contact Eliza Edwards.

Tim Griffith, Evidence Advisor

As an Evidence Advisor, Tim helps lead efforts to maximize discretionary spending on evidence-based policies and programs in North Carolina. His role includes working with North Carolina state agencies to conduct evidence reviews of discretionary spending and identify areas and opportunities for evaluating policy and program effectiveness through rigorous evaluation methods such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Prior to joining OSP, Tim worked in several evaluation roles at non-profit and private sector research organizations. His work included conducting evaluations and providing evaluation technical assistance for clients at the federal, state and local level focused on workforce development and unemployment insurance policies and programs. Tim holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a Graduate Certificate in Program Evaluation from Michigan State University.

Click here to contact Tim Griffith.

Juli Kim, Philanthropy Liaison

As Philanthropy Liaison, Juli helps philanthropy and state government agencies connect with and learn from each other and identify opportunities to collaborate for greater impact. Juli brings to this role over 20 years’ experience working with policymakers, funders, practitioners, and researchers to identify, develop, implement, evaluate, and communicate problem-solving strategies related to a range of policy issues. Her career includes roles in state government and the nonprofit and private sectors. Juli has worked closely with philanthropic organizations, as program director at the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers and as a K-12 education consultant. Juli is a graduate of the University of North Carolina where she earned both her bachelor and law degrees. 

Click here to contact Juli Kim.

Javier Limon, Administrative Support Specialist

Javier Limon is an Administrative Support Specialist with the North Carolina Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP), where he provides administrative and logistical support to the leadership team in enhancing collaboration between state government, research institutions, and philanthropic organizations. Javier graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Public Health. Currently, he is pursuing a Master of Public Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s School of Government. Javier’s experience includes internships in both the United States Senate and the White House, where he gained valuable insights into the workings of federal government. Now focused on state government, he is particularly interested in how public, private, and nonprofit sectors can collaborate to address shared challenges and improve outcomes for communities across North Carolina.

Click here to contact Javier. 

Alevtina Newman, Graduate Intern

Alevtina Newman is a graduate intern with OSP. In this role, she supports OSP’s core work to develop, launch, and enhance cross-sector partnerships and increase the use of evidence in government decision making. Alevtina is interested in strengthening her research, data analysis, and writing skills, and learning more about the inner workings of state government, specifically how it interacts with non-governmental bodies to create and strengthen connections. Alevtina recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a major in Public Policy and a minor in Conflict Management. In fall of 2024, she will be continuing her education at UNC Chapel Hill in the accelerated Master of Public Policy program.

Click here to contact Alevtina Newman. 

Jenni Owen, Director 

Jenni Owen is the Director of the North Carolina Office of Strategic Partnerships. In this role, she identifies and launches strategic partnerships between and among state government, universities/colleges, philanthropy, and other entities. This includes increasing and expanding state government connections with external research experts and increasing agency capacity to conduct and use evidence to improve policy and practice. Jenni was previously Policy Director for Governor Roy Cooper and Director of Policy Engagement and on the faculty of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. A 2007 Eisenhower Fellow to South Africa, her civic roles have included: NC Indigent Defense Services (commissioner); El Futuro and Durham Children’s Initiative (board member); Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management (policy council member); and National Conference of State Legislatures Evidence Informed Policymaking work group (member). She is currently a member of the Duke-NCCU (North Carolina Central University) Clinical Translational Science Institute Regional Community and Stakeholder Advisory Committee, associate editor of the Society for Research in Child Development Social Policy Report, and on the advisory group of the Transforming Evidence Network. 

Click here to contact Jenni Owen.

Click here to view OSP Advisory Group Bios.