Course Instructors
Lou Bunch, SHRM-SCP
Senior Municipal Human Resources Consultant, NCLM
Lou Bunch joined NCLM in 2022 where she serves as a Senior Municipal Human Resources Consultant, providing guidance to North Carolina cities and towns on a wide range of personnel issues, with a focus on employment liability. Mrs. Bunch has over ten years of experience in human resources administration in state and local government, along with over ten years of experience in staff management in the private sector. Before joining the League, she most recently served as the Human Resources Director and Town Clerk for the Town of Nashville.
Mrs. Bunch holds her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Meredith College and holds her SHRM-Senior Certified Professional certification and is also a Certified Municipal Clerk through IIMC and NCAMC. She is an active member of the North Carolina Association of Municipal Clerks, International Institute of Municipal Clerks, North Carolina Public Sector Human Resources Association, and Society of Human Resources Management. In addition, Mrs. Bunch served as a Board Member and is a Past President of the Organization of Municipal Personnel Officers, and currently serves as the League’s liaison for their organization.
Tom Carruthers
Deputy General Counsel, NCLM
Tom Carruthers is the Deputy General Counsel with the NC League of Municipalities where he provides legal advice and support to League Departments, and Affiliates where he assists member local governments on legal, procedural and strategic issues. He also prepares and presents educational materials, and interprets and drafts legislation in support of local government issues.
Prior to joining the League, Tom served as Assistant County Attorney to the Guilford County Sheriff Danny Rogers. His areas of practice included civil litigation, public records requests, public contracting and advisor on First Amendment issues. Tom also served over four years as the City Attorney with the City of Greensboro and an additional five years as an Assistant City Attorney. In Greensboro, he provided critical legal guidance to the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager across numerous practice areas while he managed departmental legal resources including seven staff attorneys, five paralegals and assigned administrative staff.
Earlier in his career, Tom served as an Assistant District Attorney with the 24th Judicial District and has worked in private practice in civil litigation and business law.
Ben Mount
Senior Assistant General Counsel, NCLM
Ben Mount serves as Senior Assistant General Counsel with the NC League of Municipalities, where he provides legal advice and support to League Departments, assists member local governments on legal, procedural, and strategic issues, prepares and presents educational materials, and supports the League’s Amicus brief program.
Prior to joining the League, Ben served as Senior Associate City Attorney for the City of Raleigh, where he was the lead legal liaison for the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources. His areas of practice included real estate, condemnation litigation, public records requests, public contracting, and other areas of municipal law. In addition to serving multiple City departments, Ben provided legal guidance to the Mayor, City Council, and City Manager in various matters, including the City’s acquisition of Dorothea Dix Park from the State of North Carolina. Ben earned his Master of Public Administration degree from the UNC School of Government and his law degree from the UNC School of Law.