Beau Mills joined Fountainworks as a senior advisor in 2024, following his retirement from the N.C. Metro Mayors Coalition and the N.C. League of Municipalities. He founded the N.C. Metro Mayors Coalition in 2001 as a forum for leaders from the state’s 30 largest cities and an advocate for urban issues. Prior to founding the coalition, he served in public policy positions at various levels, including as director of federal affairs for UNC Chapel Hill, district director for U.S. Rep. David Price, and senior policy advisor to Gov. Jim Hunt. Mills spent a decade with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in D.C., which included a detail to the White House Community Empowerment Board, the Brownfields Program, the Office of Federal Facilities Enforcement and the interagency Military Base Closure and Revitalization Team. His honors include three EPA Bronze Medals, an Eisenhower Fellowship to China, and awards from NCSITE and the N.C. Public Transportation Association