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RALEIGH – The future-focused NC Chamber Foundation announced Meredith Archie will serve as president starting Monday, April 11. Archie directed communications for the NC Chamber and NC Chamber Foundation from 2011 to 2015. She will lead the Foundation’s competitiveness institute activities, oversee commissioned studies, and provide guidance on public policy issues to achieve the goals set out in North Carolina Vision 2030, the NC Chamber Foundation’s long-range plan developed with North Carolina’s job creators to secure a more competitive future. For the past seven years, Archie has managed corporate communications, developed stakeholder engagement, and served as company spokesperson at Duke Energy.

As NC Chamber Foundation President, Archie will evaluate and evolve North Carolina Vision 2030 to reflect goal achievement categorized by three pillars: Education and Talent Supply, Competitive Business Climate, and Infrastructure and Growth Leadership. Collaborating with policy experts, she will direct the development and initiatives of the NC Chamber Foundation’s three competitiveness institutes: Institute for Workforce Competitiveness, Institute for Supply Chain Competitiveness, and future Institute for Energy and ESG Sustainability.

The Institute for Workforce Competitiveness was launched this month to improve the quality and quantity of North Carolina’s workforce by advancing statewide, business-led strategies. Employers, educators, and workforce leaders will convene to share successful workforce initiatives and determine how these proven programs can be replicated across North Carolina’s communities. The Institute will also continue training in the employer-centered Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) method and connect NC TPM graduates to grants for local/regional pipelines in specific industries and occupations.

“We want to help our state’s employers and educators speak a common language so that today’s workers and tomorrow’s talent are prepared for success,” said NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido. “We all share the same goals – to provide North Carolinians with rewarding jobs and secure a competitive, diverse, and world-class workforce across the state.”

In April, June, and this Fall, the Institute will host several stakeholder panels with North Carolina leaders in business, economic development, government, and education to identify barriers in current workforce pipelines and develop new pathways for connecting academic systems to jobs in demand.

“Our state’s highly skilled workforce is central to why businesses decide to move to, or expand in, North Carolina,” said Christopher Chung, CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. “We are optimistic about the role the Institute will play in strengthening our workforce and preparing it for an ever-changing business climate.”