PRESENTED BY
PRESENTING SPONSOR
PLATINUM SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
SILVER SPONSOR
THANK YOU SPONSORS
RESOURCE GUIDE SPONSOR
SouthMark Design
TRANSPORTATION SPONSOR
Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa
NON-PROFIT SCHOLARSHIP
Ward Scott Morris Architecture, Inc.
NETWORKING BREAK SPONSORS
Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County, Inc.
Buffalo Rock/Pepsi-Cola
City of Northport
SUNDAY
NETWORKING (AT YOUR LEISURE) AC Hotel Raleigh 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM 5:30 PM 6:00 PM 9:00 PM AFTER
HOTEL CHECK-IN AND REGISTRATION
AC Hotel Raleigh | 101 Park at North Hills Street
BUS DEPARTS FOR NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCES
WELCOME RECEPTION, DINNER, AND PROGRAM: RALEIGH 101 NC Museum of Natural Sciences | 11 West Jones St | NEC 3rd Floor
Mary-Ann Baldwin | Mayor City of Raleigh
Adrienne Cole | President, CEO Raleigh Chamber
BUS DEPARTS FOR AC HOTEL RALEIGH
DAY 2
MONDAY
6:00 AM – 7:45 AM
8:00 AM
8:30 AM
BREAKFAST (AT YOUR LEISURE)
AC Hotel Raleigh
AC Kitchen serves European-inspired breakfast each morning featuring assorted European and domestic cheeses, freshly baked croissants, artisan-cured meats, yogurts and cereals, and seasonal fruits.
BUS DEPARTS FOR CITY CLUB RALEIGH
GENERATING A BLUEPRINT FOR WHITE COLLAR RECRUITMENT THROUGH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
City Club Raleigh | 150 Fayetteville St, Suite 2800 | Sky Ballroom
Michael Haley | Director
Ashley Cagle | Asst. Director Economic Development Economic Development
Raleigh Chamber Raleigh Chamber
9:30 AM 9:45 AM
NETWORKING BREAK
BREAKOUT SESSION I
A
ESTABLISHING AN ECOSYSTEM FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TALENT RETENTION
City Club Raleigh | Sky Ballroom
Anthony Caison | Vice President of Workforce Continuing Education Wake Technical Community College
Jo Anne Honeycutt | CTE Director Wake County Public Schools
Pat Sturdivant | Executive Director of Capital Area Workforce Development Board | Wake County Government
Tom White | Director of Economic Development Partnership North Carolina State University
B
THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR FUTURE DEMAND
City Club Raleigh | Sea Room
Chuck McFall | Executive Vice President & Chief Information, Strategy, and Admistration Officer | Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
Joe Milazzo II | Executive Director Regional Transportation Alliance
Het Patel | Wake Bus Rapid Transit Manager City of Raleigh
10:45 AM 11:00 AM 12 NOON
NETWORKING BREAK
BREAKOUT SESSION II
1:30 PM 2:15 PM A B
MONDAY
ESTABLISHING AN ECOSYSTEM FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND TALENT RETENTION
City Club Raleigh | Sky Ballroom
Anthony Caison | Vice President of Workforce Continuing Education Wake Technical Community College
Jo Anne Honeycutt | CTE Director Wake County Public Schools
Pat Sturdivant | Executive Director of Capital Area Workforce Development Board | Wake County Government
Tom White | Director of Economic Development Partnership North Carolina State University
PLANNING FOR CREATIVE COMMUNITIES AND MAKING SPACE FOR ARTS AND CULTURE
City Club Raleigh | Sea Room
Jennifer McEwen | President and CEO
United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County
Sarah Powers | Executive Director Office of Raleigh Arts
Alexus Rhone | Curator of Community Engagement Office of Raleigh Arts
LUNCHEON - TOGETHER AS ONE: A PANEL DISCUSSION ON COLLABORATION IN RALEIGH
City Club Raleigh | Sky Ballroom
Adrienne Cole | President and CEO
Raleigh Chamber
Michael Haley | Director of Economic Development
Raleigh Chamber
Kyle Touchstone | Director
Raleigh Economic Development
BUS DEPARTS FOR AMERICAN TOBACCO CAMPUS
TOUR THE ATC AND AMERICAN UNDERGROUND American Tobacco Campus | 300 Blackwell St #104 | Durham DAY 2
DAY 2 MONDAY
3:00 PM 4:00 PM 5:30 PM 7:00 PM AFTER HOURS 6:00 AM – 7:45 AM 8:00 AM
DAY 3
EXPLORE AMERICAN TOBACCO CAMPUS (AT YOUR LEISURE)
American Tobacco Campus | Durham
BUS DEPARTS FOR AC HOTEL RALEIGH ROOFTOP
NETWORKING RECEPTION
AC Hotel Raleigh | Rooftop
DINNER AND NETWORKING (AT YOUR LEISURE)
NETWORKING (AT YOUR LEISURE)
TUESDAY
BREAKFAST (AT YOUR LEISURE)
AC Hotel Raleigh
BUS DEPARTS FOR NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF HISTORY
RALEIGH’S EXPERIENCE ECONOMY: TOURISM, PARKS, AND RECREATION
North Carolina Museum of History | 5 E Edenton St | Auditorium
Denny Edwards | President
Visit Raleigh
NETWORKING BREAK
WRAP-UP SESSION
North Carolina Museum of History | Auditorium
BUSES DEPART FOR AC HOTEL RALEIGH
HOTEL CHECK-OUT, DEPARTURE
Mary-Ann Baldwin
mary-ann.baldwin@raleighnc.gov
Mary-Ann Baldwin is the Mayor of Raleigh. She was first elected to the Raleigh City Council in 2007 as an at-large member, serving five terms, before being elected mayor in 2019 and re-elected in 2022. Mayor Baldwin is Chair of the Safe, Healthy, & Vibrant Neighborhood Committee and is Vice-Chair of the Economic Development & Innovation Committee.
Mayor Baldwin earned her undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island and, prior to that, graduated from the Community College of Rhode Island.
Mayor Baldwin joined First Tee - Triangle in March 2022 with a focus on fundraising. Previously, she served as executive director of the Holt Brothers Foundation, which supports children who have a parent with cancer, and was executive director of the Carolina Hurricanes Kids ‘n Community Foundation.
She co-founded two non-profits: Innovate Raleigh, a regional catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurship in the Triangle region, and another focused on student success.
She has more than 30 years of experience in communications, marketing, branding, and business development, in addition to many years of leadership in the non-profit sector.
Mayor Baldwin has served on numerous non-profit boards, including Communities in School of Wake County, Artsplosure, and the American Lung Association. Previously she was chair of the Business Friends Council at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Mayor Baldwin is a member of the William Peace University Board of Trustees and the Wake Tech Foundation Board of Directors.
Mayor Baldwin enjoys golf, skiing, hiking, and cooking for friends and family. She and her husband enjoy spending time with their grandchildren and two dogs, Jack Bauer and Charlie Brown.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Ashley Cagle acagle@raleighchamber.org
Ashley serves as Vice President of Economic Development for the Raleigh Chamber and Assistant Executive Director of Wake County Economic Development.
She leads Wake County Economic Development’s comprehensive
business expansion, recruitment, and relocation efforts focused on four key market segments: Information Technology, Life Sciences, Cleantech, and Advanced Manufacturing. As a component of this, she also oversees Wake County’s talent attraction, retention, and pipeline strategy, focused on growing and recruiting highly-skilled talent in the Triangle.
Anthony Caison amcaison@waketech.edu
Anthony has worked in education for over 20 years. He has been with Wake Tech Community College since 1997 in several leadership positions, including Chief Campus Officer for Wake Tech’s Western Wake and Public Safety Education Campuses.
He was appointed Vice President of Workforce Continuing Education in 2013 and leads six divisions in providing Workforce Continuing Education training to Wake County’s citizens, corporations, small businesses, community organizations, municipalities, and the public safety community.
Anthony is a native of Southern Illinois and is also an Army veteran. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master’s in Business Administration from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Adrienne Cole acole@raleighchamber.org
Adrienne is the president and CEO of the Raleigh Chamber and leads the Triangle’s largest business membership organization representing two-thirds of the private sector employment in Wake County.
In this role, Adrienne and her team support the interests of the local business community while building a thriving regional economy, enhancing the community’s quality of life, and strengthening member businesses.
Adrienne’s core focus areas are economic development; diversity, equity, and inclusivity; government affairs; transportation; workforce development; talent; entrepreneurship; leadership development; and supporting small businesses.
She serves on numerous boards, including the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), the Chair of the Metro Cities Council of ACCE, the Board and Executive Committee of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP), the Meredith College Board of Trustees and Chair of the Meredith College Business and Finance Committee, the Downtown Raleigh Alliance Board of Directors, The 50 Group Board of Directors, the City Club Raleigh Board of Governors, The St. Augustine’s University President’s Council. She is a member of several business and civic organizations in the Triangle.
Under Adrienne’s leadership, the Chamber and Wake County Economic Development led economic development project wins totaling $5.24 billion and 23,600 jobs since 2014.
She has received the Triangle Business Journal’s Women in Business Award and CEO of the Year award. Business NC has also recognized her in their Power List. Adrienne was the recipient of the TCREW Impact Award in 2023. She and her husband, Walt, live in Raleigh and have three children.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Dennis “Denny” Edwards dedwards@visitraleigh.com
Denny is the President and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), which sells and markets Raleigh/Wake County as a tourist and meeting destination. The Greater Raleigh CVB has an annual budget of $9.2M.
Before joining the Greater Raleigh CVB, he was the Senior Vice President for the Greater Fort Lauderdale CVB for ten years. Denny was also the Director of Sales for the Greater Houston CVB and, prior to that, served as the Director of Sales for the Palm Springs Desert Resorts CVB.
He received the Business Leader 2009 Triangle Mover and Shaker Award. He was named to the 2021 Business North Carolina List as one of the state’s most influential leaders in Hospitality and Tourism.
An Iowa native, Denny is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, where he received a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Public Relations and minors in Business and Marketing.
Michael Haley
mhaley@raleighchamber.org
Michael is the Executive Director of Wake County Economic Development and the Senior Vice President of the Raleigh Chamber.
Wake County Economic Development, a program of the Raleigh Chamber, is the lead economic development agency for Wake County and the City of Raleigh.
Jo Anne Honeycutt jahoneycutt@wcpss.net
Jo Anne is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director for the Wake County Public School System.
CTE programs prepare students for employment opportunities, advanced education, and productive lives. CTE promotes best practices that enhance
teachers’ efforts to encourage responsible career choices.
Prior to working for Wake County Public Schools, Jo Anne served as the CTE Director for Johnston County Schools.
She received the 2021 Champion Award from SkillsUSA North Carolina.
Jennifer McEwen jmcewen@unitedarts.org
Jennifer is the President and CEO of the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.
Before joining United Arts in August 2022, she came from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where she was the town’s Director of Cultural Affairs
for five years. Prior to her time on Hilton Head, she was the Executive Director at Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia.
Jennifer is an alumna of the 2020 Leadership South Carolina class, a 2017 National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Fellow, and an alumna of the 2010 Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta. She was named to Georgia Trend Magazine’s 40 Under 40 list in 2016 and was recognized in 2013 by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits with a Nonprofit Impact Award.
MEET THE SPEAKERS
Chuck McFall chuck.mcfall@rdu.com
Chuck is the Executive Vice President and Chief Information, Strategy, and Administration Officer of the RaleighDurham Airport Authority.
He oversees all Information Services/Technology, Finance, Communications, Government and
Community Affairs, Risk Management, and Safety activities and services for the Authority. He also provides leadership and vision for all strategic and business planning initiatives.
Chuck has a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Columbia Southern University, an M.A. in Applied Organizational Behavior from Tusculum College, an Executive Certificate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is an Accredited Airport Executive.
Joe Milazzo II joe@letsgetmoving.org
Joe is the Executive Director of the Regional Transportation Alliance (RTA). He leads the regional business community’s advocacy efforts on transportation issues, policy, and strategy. His primary role is accelerating success on key priorities for our growing region by bringing the business community together and leveraging its strength, voice, and focus.
Joe holds master’s degrees in business management and civil engineering from NC State University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Penn State. He has been a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina since 1998 and a registered lobbyist in North Carolina for more than 20 years.
Het Patel
het.patel@raleighnc.gov
Het is the Wake Bus Rapid Transit Program Manager within the Dept. of Transportation’s Transit Division at the City of Raleigh.
Het has experience with project and program management with a background in short and long-range
planning, program development, stakeholder outreach, and education with an emphasis on innovation, sustainability, multi-modal connectivity, and transit-oriented development.
He holds a BS in Environmental Sciences from the University of Florida and an MS in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University. Het is a certified planner through the American Planning Association.
Sarah
Powers sarah.powers@raleighnc.gov
Sarah is the Executive Director of the Office of Raleigh Arts, a part of the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department, charged with fostering, supporting, and promoting the arts.
Previously to her tenure at the City of Raleigh, she was the Executive Director of VAE Raleigh, a non-profit dedicated to advocating for the creative community and connecting the community to the arts.
Sarah is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. She received an Indies Art Award in 2012 for her arts advocacy work and in 2009 for her work on the artist team for The Bain Project. She’s been selected by the News and Observer to their 2016 list of new Triangle leaders.
Alexus Rhone info@alexusrhone.com
Alexus is the founder of Truth Meet Story, LLC. Expanding empathy one story at a time, she tells stories on diverse platforms. She also coaches others on how to tell stories and curates brand-sponsored live storytelling events around the country.
With over 20 years of experience working in the private/corporate sector customizing workshops and branded events and coaching creative and authentic, first-person storytellers for live events, her professional roster includes GANNETT/USA Today Network, Lutheran Hostel, City of Phoenix, Raleigh Public Arts, and City of Dallas/Office of Arts and Culture.
CAWD serves Wake and Johnston counties by administering innovative workforce solutions designed to provide employers with skilled workers Pat
Pat is the Executive Director of Capital Area Workforce Development (CAWD) at Wake County Government.
and offer citizens training and employment opportunities that promote job satisfaction and economic mobility.
Under her leadership, CAWD was awarded the 2019 Laurie Moran Partnership Award by the National Association of Workforce Boards. In addition, Pat is the 2019 recipient of the Peter E. Kaiser Leadership Award from the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. She has also served as president of the North Carolina Association of Workforce Boards Executive Directors Council since 2015.
Kyle Touchstone ktouchstone@raleighchamber.org
Kyle is the Director of Raleigh Economic Development (RED). RED is a partnership between the Raleigh Chamber, Wake County Economic Development, and the City of Raleigh.
Kyle previously served as President of the Chatham County Economic
Development Corporation. He brings over 15 years of experience in economic development with past postings in Tallahassee, Florida, and the Dallas suburb of Irving-Las Colinas, Texas. Most recently, Kyle worked with The Wooten Company, where he spearheaded infrastructure funding efforts to support economic development projects for local communities across the Carolinas. In 2017, Kyle was recognized by the Triangle Business Journal as a 40 under 40 Leadership Award winner.
As Director of the Economic Development Partnership at North Carolina State University, Tom leads economic development initiatives, serving as the liaison to local, regional, and state economic and workforce development entities. Tom White
These strategic partnerships result in new jobs, capital investment for North Carolina, and meaningful opportunities for students and faculty.
Prior to joining NC State, Tom was the Director of the NC Department of Commerce’s Division of Employment and Training. He was also president and CEO of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of Duke University, Tom received his Master of Public Affairs from NC State.
NETWORK WITH PARTICIPANTS
Senator Gerald Allen State of Alabama gerald.allen@alsenate.gov
Alyson Baxter
The University of Alabama alyson.baxter@ua.edu
Benjamin Baxter HarbisonWalker International benbaxter.bama@gmail.com
Dan Blakley The University of Alabama djblakley@ua.edu
Daniel Bradshaw Tuscaloosa Association of Realtors daniel@tuscaloosarealtors.com
Bobby Bragg JamisonMoneyFarmer PC bbragg@jmf.com
Michele Coley Allstate Coley Agency michelecoley@allstate.com
Paul Connolly TCC Acquisition Partners, LLC pconnolly@mkresources.com
Dr. Chris Cox Shelton State Community College ccox@sheltonstate.edu
Ciara Daniel The Alamite ciaramdaniel1@gmail.com
Brian Davis Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority bdavis@tcpara.org
Stephen Dethrage Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa stephen.dethrage@townsquaremedia.com
Steve Diorio WVUA 23 sdiorio@wvua23.com
David Dubose Townsquare Media Tuscaloosa david.dubose@townsquaremedia.com
Councilor Jamie Dykes City of Northport jdykes@cityofnorthport.org
Joe Eatmon Shelton State Community College jeatmon@sheltonstate.edu
Amy Echols Kentuck Art Center & Festival aechols@kentuck.org
Matt Fajack The University of Alabama mfajack@ua.edu
Reggie Fajack rmfajack@hotmail.com
Barkley Garrett Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama barkley@westalabamachamber.com
Jheovanny Gómez Jalapeños Mexican Grill jheovany7@aol.com
NETWORK WITH PARTICIPANTS
Heyward Gould BankFirst hgould@bankfirstfs.com
Alicia Gregory Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama alicia@westalabamachamber.com
Mike Henderson Kentuck Art Center & Festival mhenderson@tuscco.com
Cal Holt Knight Sign Industries, Inc. cholt@knightsign.com
Vicki Holt Southern Ale House vickisholt@yahoo.com
Beverly Hood Celebrity Tresses, LLC bevhood@ymail.com
Jacquie Johnson Alabama ONE jacquiejohnson@alabamaone.org
Donny Jones Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama donny@westalabamachamber.com
Katrina Keefer DCH Health System katrina.keefer@dchsystem.com
Mayor Walt Maddox City of Tuscaloosa mayor@tuscaloosa.com
Blake Madison Rosen Harwood bmadison@rosenharwood.com
Whitni Molden Hotel Capstone whitni.molden@hotelcapstone.com
Jordan Morris Ward Scott Morris Architecture, Inc. jmorris@wardscottmorris.com
Dr. Yolanda Page Stillman College ypage@stillman.edu
Dr. Allen Parrish Alabama Transportation Institute allen.parrish@ua.edu
Jasmine Rainey Visit Tuscaloosa jrainey@visittuscaloosa.com
Julie Ramm City of Northport jramm@cityofnorthport.org
Matt Ray Eatmybeats, Inc. matt@eatmybeats.com
Nikki Ray Eatmybeats, Inc. nikki@embprosystems.com
Judge Rob Robertson Tuscaloosa County Commission rrobertson@tuscco.com
Kelsey Rush Visit Tuscaloosa krush@visittuscaloosa.com
Richard Rush City of Tuscaloosa rrush@tuscaloosa.com
NETWORK WITH PARTICIPANTS
Justice Smyth
Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority justice.smyth@tcoeda.com
Max Snyder
Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority max.snyder@tcoeda.com
Kyle South Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama kyle@westalabamachamber.com
Charlie Taylor University of Alabama System ctaylor@uasystem.edu
Brandy Walker NorthRidge Fitness walkerbrandynrf@gmail.com
Jason Walker TTL, Inc. jwalker@ttlusa.com
Councilor Woodrow Washington City of Northport wwashington@cityofnorthport.org
Tanya Winstead Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama tanya@westalabamachamber.com
Chanterryka Winters Kristen Amerson Youth Foundation ccalhoun_24@yahoo.com
JacQuan Winters Pritchett-Moore Real Estate jacquan@winwithwinters.com
Sandra Wolfe Arts Council of Tuscaloosa director@tuscarts.org
Rolf Wrona Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. rolf.wrona@mercedes-benz.com
VIEW THE VENUES
AC Hotel Raleigh
Experience a unique combination of timeless European design, comfort, and true authenticity when you stay at AC Hotel Raleigh. It is at the heart of the Triangle region’s prime shopping, dining, and entertainment. Elevate your stay at the Level 7 Rooftop Bar overlooking panoramic neighborhood views.
American Tobacco Campus
For decades, the American Tobacco Campus was one of the busiest industrial centers in the country. The end of the tobacco industry in Durham put the Bull City in a position to re-invent itself.
Working together, local leaders remade the former factory, developed the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and opened the stunning Durham Performing Arts Center, rejuvenating this unique city and setting a new live-work-play standard.
Fast forward 20 years, and it’s a community attracting millions of guests each year for everything from weddings to meetings and baseball to Broadway.
VIEW THE VENUES
City Club Raleigh
City Club Raleigh is the premier Club where Raleigh’s dynamic leaders connect, work, host, and celebrate. Unveiled a $2.6-million reinvention in 2014, the Club features an upscale dining room with spectacular city views, casual Anytime Lounge and Grill overlooking Fayetteville Street, private dining rooms, a stylish e-lounge, small meeting spaces, and an expansive ballroom.
North Carolina Museum of History
The North Carolina Museum of History is committed to creating a place where you can explore, learn, and enjoy programs, events, and exhibitions that celebrate North Carolina’s past, present, and future.
North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in central Raleigh is the largest institution of its kind in the Southeastern United States and, with over a million visitors a year, the state’s most visited museum.
