Duke and Harvard-Educated Veteran Now Serves on Fayetteville City Council

When Emmett Spurlock talks about city government, he does not begin with politics. He begins with planning.

A Duke University graduate with an executive management credential from Harvard Business School, Spurlock was sworn in earlier this year as a Fayetteville City Council member after unseating a longtime incumbent by a narrow margin. It is his first time holding elected office, but not his first time leading complex organizations or weighing decisions with long-term consequences.

“I’ve spent my career thinking about second- and third-order effects,” Spurlock said. “Just because something isn’t happening today doesn’t mean it won’t happen tomorrow.”

A career built on strategy

Spurlock grew up in New Jersey and earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from Duke University. After graduating, he worked as a defense contractor and later held corporate roles with national organizations including McDonald’s Corporation and AC Nielsen.

At the same time, he was building a parallel career in the military. Spurlock served a total of 28 years in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. His service included overseas assignments in Kuwait and Afghanistan, as well as senior operational roles, including work as a strategic planner, based largely in the Washington, D.C., area.

“I wanted to understand how entire systems work,” he said. “Operations, logistics, human resources, intelligence, budgeting — all of it.”

That systems-level experience later translated into civilian leadership. Spurlock served as chief operating officer for a local startup company and for a nonprofit focused on serving veterans. He currently serves as co-CEO of ZC Institute, a nuclear fusion startup collaborating with universities and laboratories across the country.

“We’re working with six different universities and labs right now,” Spurlock said. “It’s clean energy, and if it works the way we believe it can, it could be a game changer.”

A transformative Harvard experience

Spurlock completed Harvard Business School’s General Management Program in 2019, an intensive executive-level course that brought together 144 participants from more than 30 countries and dozens of industries.

He described the experience as transformational, particularly the program’s emphasis on real-world problem solving, negotiation, and decision-making under pressure.

One exercise required participants to represent competing stakeholders in a complex infrastructure negotiation, ranging from labor unions to environmental interests to municipal leadership. Spurlock said only a handful of teams were able to reach a solution all parties could accept.

“Our group was one of the few that successfully negotiated terms where everyone walked away feeling satisfied,” he said. “We had to listen, understand competing priorities, and find common ground.”

By the end of the program, Spurlock was elected by his peers as one of five cohort representatives, a role he said affirmed his ability to lead among accomplished professionals from around the world.

“It showed me I could compete with the best,” he said.

Why Fayetteville — and why now

Despite working across the country and overseas for much of his career, Fayetteville remained home. Spurlock and his wife settled in the city two decades ago, raising a blended family and becoming increasingly aware of local challenges during frequent returns.

“Every time we came back, we’d drive around town and ask, ‘Why doesn’t the city focus here, or focus there?’” he said.

For years, those conversations stayed private. That changed when Spurlock decided he wanted to move from observation to action.

“If not me, then who?” he said.

He began attending City Council meetings and noticed how few residents were present.

“It appeared to me there weren’t a whole lot of people showing up,” he said. “That means only a few voices are shaping where the city goes.”

Winning a local race

Spurlock ran a low-budget campaign, largely self-funded with support from friends and family. He focused on direct engagement, walking neighborhoods, attending community meetings, and speaking with small business owners as well as residents.

“You’re not just representing the residents of Fayetteville,” he said. “You’re also representing the small businesses that get impacted by the decisions the council makes.”

He declined to affiliate formally with a political party, running instead as an independent.

“I try to let people know I’m independent,” he said. “When it comes to fiscal matters, I’m very much conservative. On other issues, I’m progressive.”

His approach resonated with voters. In the November 2025 election, Spurlock defeated incumbent Scott Stacy by just 72 votes, a rare and difficult outcome in a local race. In an election cycle that saw several incumbents lose their seats, Spurlock emerged as part of a new City Council majority.

Priorities for Fayetteville

Now in office, Spurlock said his focus is on responsible, long-term planning rather than quick wins.

Among his priorities is supporting small businesses, particularly as commercial rents rise and redevelopment reshapes parts of the city.

“The small business owners we want here can’t afford to suddenly have their rent doubled,” he said.

He is also concerned about Fayetteville’s ability to attract younger families and professionals, especially those who work outside the city.

“If you’re a young person working in Midtown Atlanta, you have to ask yourself why you’d move here,” he said. “We need to give people a reason.”

That includes addressing gaps in access to grocery stores in some parts of the city, improving aesthetics through enforcement of existing codes, and revisiting Fayetteville’s strategic plan.

“We’ve talked about entertainment districts, arts districts, and corporate and sports-related development,” he said. “But we need to look at it strategically and grow responsibly.”

Looking ahead

Spurlock said his approach to governance is rooted in transparency and preparation.

“The decision I make today is based on the information I have today,” he said. “More information may come tomorrow, and that might change things.”

He encourages residents to attend meetings, participate in town halls, and vote in local elections.

“We had more than 14,000 registered voters, and only a fraction showed up,” he said. “Local government matters. People should use their voice.”

For Spurlock, serving on City Council is less about ideology than responsibility.

“I want people to know they’ve been heard,” he said. “Then I’ll make the best decision I can with the information in front of me.”