brian patrick hogan public benefits and north carolina
I lead nutrition programs for North Carolina. Before that I spent nearly two decades in legal aid, on the other side of the same systems. This is my personal site and it does not represent the views of any employer.
Two decades on both sides of the safety net.
Same purpose, different chair.
I am currently serving as the Deputy Director for Nutrition at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child and Family Well-Being, responsible for SNAP, WIC, CACFP, Summer EBT, and Disaster SNAP: over $2.8 billion a year reaching more than 1.3 million North Carolinians.
Before my current service, I spent nearly two decades in legal aid, ending as manager of North Carolina's largest public benefits legal practice. I founded Legal Aid's statewide Medicaid advocacy project and represented people at the sharp end of the same systems I now run. Same purpose, different chair: a program's job is to reach the people it exists to serve, accurately and with dignity.
- Modernizing how policy reaches North Carolinians: plain-language guidance, better job aids, faster answers.
- Civic tech and exploring AI-assisted public administration, carefully: where it helps, where it should never be used.
- Writing more. Notes on access, integrity, and running large public systems humanely.
Deputy Director for Nutrition
Executive oversight of SNAP, WIC, CACFP, Summer EBT, and Disaster SNAP across a state-supervised, county-administered system of 100 counties.
Public Benefits Practice Group Manager
Manager of the state's largest public benefits legal practice. Founded MATT, Legal Aid's statewide Medicaid advocacy project. Board Certified Specialist in Social Security Disability Law. Awarded the Eileen P. Sweeney Distinguished Service award by NOSSCR in 2026 for Social Security advocacy.
Staff Attorney
Poverty law and reentry legal services inside a comprehensive anti-poverty program. Organized Contra Costa County's first Clean Slate Day in 2011.