William Leimenstoll

About William

updated 2/2014: Will Leimenstoll grew up in the heart of Greensboro, North Carolina as the son of historic preservation architects. His unique childhood in a downtown, storefront building helped him discover a passion for city planning at a young age. Beginning in middle school, he served on a community advisory team charged with redeveloping a brownfield adjacent to his childhood home. As downtown Greensboro revitalized, he was the sole voice for the under- thirty age group at countless vision meetings. Will is now a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Urban Studies & Planning. Through his academic pursuits at UNC, he has conducted original research on recycling rates and taken graduate-level city planning courses. In the fall of 2011, Will participated in an Honors semester in Cape Town, South Africa where he interned with thecity’s Social Development Office and conducted research on informal recycling practices.Will is currently acting as Student Body President of UNC-Chapel Hill. In this role, he works with the university and town administrations and serves as a member of UNC-CH’s Board ofTrustees. He has successfully advocated to sustain robust financial aid policies, reduce tuition increases on out-of-state students, and legalize gender non-specific housing on campus. He also manages a team of over 200 student leaders charged with carrying out an ambitious 40-page campaign platform. He hopes to eventually get a Masters in City Planning with a concentration in Urban Design and use his degree to construct environmentally friendly buildings and neighborhoods. In his free time, Will enjoys running, swimming, hiking, road trips, and relaxing with family and friends.