Barbara Joy Tillman, or BJ to friends, is originally from Columbus, GA, and is a senior who is currently double majoring in Public Policy and Media and Journalism. In 2019, she founded a non-profit organization, Your Voice, Your Vote (YVYV), that increased voter education and voter registration among youth and first-time voters. To date, YVYV has registered over 1000 young voters across the southeast, many of them from traditionally under-represented demographics. At UNC, Barbara Joy currently serves as Co-Director of Civic Engagement and Outreach Services, as an Honors Carolina Student Association (HCSA) Board Member and a Co-Director of the Honors Carolina Special Initiatives Committee. Barbara Joy was a member of the inaugural cohort of the executive branch’s Richard Epps Emerging Leadership (REEL) program and is a Buckley Public Service Scholar (BPSS). She is a member of the 2025 North Carolina Fellows Program class.
