From 2012-2019, the Foundation convened two cohorts of Community Leadership Council members to meet with ZSR Trustees and staff, issue experts and engaged community members for two days, up to three times a year, in locations across the state.
The goals of the CLC were to:
- Facilitate the creation of a network of NC leaders with an enhanced understanding of ZSR, North Carolina and issues of importance to the State;
- Structure the process in a way that provides the Foundation’s staff with an opportunity for co-learning with the members of the CLC; and
- As the CLC members’ understanding of the Foundation and the State increases, utilize the expertise of the group to advance the work of the Foundation.
Meetings were designed to focus on learning, relationship building and skill building to enable members of the CLC to become more effective civic leaders.
CLC Members (2016-2019)
- Adam Klein, Chief Strategist, American Underground
- Adam Tarleton, Partner, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP
- Anna Warburton Munroe, Shareholder, Allman Spry Davis Leggett & Crumpler, PA
- Charles Thomas, Program Director, Knight Foundation
- Dawn Chavez, Executive Director, Asheville Greenworks
- Edward Boyd, Chief Strategy Officer, iNvictus Group Holdings, LLC
- James Moore, Police Chief (Retired), City of Rocky Mount
- Jamilla Hawkins, Senior Program Manager, Food & Community Development, NC Rural Economic Development Center
- Juanita Wilson, Director of Snowbird/Cherokee County Services, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
- Kate Pett, Executive Director, Asheville City Schools Foundation
- Lorelei Costa, Executive Director, Outer Banks Community Foundation
- Marcus Hill, Lead Coordinator, Forsyth Community Food Consortium
- Mary Joan Pugh, Deputy Director (Retired), N.C. Zoo
- Matt Calabria, Wake County Commissioner, Wake County
- Peter St. Onge, Associate Editor, Editorial Board, The Charlotte Observer
- Ricky Hurtado, Executive Director, Scholar's Latino Initiative
- Shorlette Ammons, Equity in Food Systems Extension Associate, Center for Environmental Farming Systems
- Sonja Gantt, Executive Director, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Foundation
CLC Members (2012-2015)
- Callie Moore, Executive Director, Hiawassee River Watershed Coalition, Inc.
- Charlotte Noel Fox, Attorney, Craige & Fox, PLLC
- Rep. Chuck McGrady, House of Representatives, North Carolina General Assembly
- Senator Jay Chaudhuri, Senate, North Carolina General Assembly
- Jennifer Jackson, Executive Director, Interfaith Prison Ministry for Women
- Joel Olsen, CEO, O2 emc
- Mary Newsom, Associate Director, Urban and Regional Affairs, UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
- Mebane Rash, CEO, EducationNC
- Melanie Chernoff, Public Policy Manager, Red Hat, Inc.
- Nation Hahn, Chief Growth Officer, EdNC.org
- Nick Sojka, Attorney, Williamson, Dean, Williamson & Sojka, LLP
- Sandra Diaz, Owner, Here & Now Health Coaching
- Sarah Nunez, Assistant Director, Hispanic/Latino Initiative, University of Louisville
- Tara Kenchen, CEO, NC Community Development Initiative
- Theresa Pinto, President, Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce
- Tony Hayes, President and CEO, TRANÇAS
- Travis Hargett, Managing Director of Services Sales, SHI
The Community Leadership Council succeeded the Foundation’s Advisory Panel, which came to an end in 2010.
Established in 1977, each cohort of the Advisory Panel was comprised of leaders from across the state, who served three-year terms in an advisory capacity to the Foundation. Advisory Panel members assisted the Foundation in better understanding issues affecting North Carolina and helped identify opportunities for more effective grantmaking as well as major new initiatives of the Foundation. For example, from a recommendation of the Advisory Panel in 1999, ZSR Trustees launched a $1 million initiative for community-based efforts to improve race relations across NC called, “Race Will Not Divide Us.” ZSR went on to fund projects across the state that not only furthered race relations in the communities where they were implemented, but also could be replicated in other communities.
The Advisory Panel also later became responsible for selecting the recipients of ZSR’s Nancy Susan Reynolds Awards, which were given from 1986-2010.