Fellow Profiles
The Duke Endowment Fellowship
Current Fellows
2008-2010 Fellow
Leah N. Hambright
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.
2007-2009 Fellow
Elizabeth J. Ireland
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 Hispanic/Latino ministries in North Carolina. Her capstone at the Endowment
is a collaborative project with Rural Church and Health Care to improve Hispanic/Latino health in the Wilmington area.
Past Fellows
2006-2008 Fellow
Margaret B. Andrews
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 has accepted an offer to remain at the Endowment as a Program Associate.
2005-2007 Fellow
Kisha Payton
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.
