Fired NC State Pride Center leader lands a job. He’s staying in the Triangle.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jae Edwards was fired by NC State in February after a surreptitious recording was posted.
- Edwards starts a job at Duke University in June.
- His lawyer says NC State violated his First Amendment and due process rights.
Jae Edwards, former assistant director of NC State’s Pride Center, was suddenly fired by the university in February after the activist group Accuracy in Media surreptitiously recorded him talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion — and posted the interaction on social media.
Edwards, who had won the Pride of the Wolfpack award weeks before his firing, was crushed by the loss of his job. “I miss my students,” Edwards told the N&O in March. “It’s just shocking. ... I very much loved my job and the impact I was able to make.”
For a while, Edwards said he had a hard time focusing on the future. When people would ask him “What’s next?” he didn’t know what to say.
Now, though, the tide is changing for Edwards.
He is heading to Duke University to work as the assistant director for training and student development in the university’s Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity. He starts the job in June.
“I will be responsible for overseeing training development and facilitation, conducting departmental assessments, and cultivating civic engagement and philanthropy across the university and local Durham community,” Edwards posted on LinkedIn Tuesday. The post has more than 230 likes.
Edwards has also recently hired a lawyer to help him with potential litigation against NC State. That lawyer, Melanie Stratton Lopez of Charlotte-based Van Kampen Law, contends NC State violated Edwards’ First Amendment and due process rights.
Duke, as a private institution, is not subject to the same UNC System regulations that necessitated NC State’s overhaul of identity-based programming. Still, though, Duke has come under federal investigation over perceived DEI-related practices.
Edwards was one of four UNC System employees to lose their job as a result of Accuracy in Media’s work. The group describes itself as using “investigative journalism and citizen-led activism to expose government corruption, public policy failures, and radical activists.”
“I’m very excited for this next step,” Edwards told The N&O in a text message.
The N&O reached out to Duke for comment Wednesday but did not immediately hear back.
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 4:33 PM.
