ANNUAL MEETINGS
Each year, Wilson Forward hosts an Annual Meeting for local partners and community members. This meeting is designed to focus on specific challenges and opportunities presented to the Wilson community while also highlighting the work of many existing partnerships and collaborative efforts dedicated to making Wilson a great place to work and live.
Registration is offered first to our community partners and then made available to other interested parties as space is available. The event is free of charge due to the support of many community partners.
October 2024
Beyond The Numbers:
Demographic Shifts & Innovative Thinking
for the Future of Wilson
Presenters:
Mariel Beasley
Co-Founder, Common Cents Lab
Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke University
Dr. Nathan Dollar
Director, Carolina Demography
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Presentation Link:
October 2023
Building Bridges:
Connecting Community for the Wilson of tomorrow
Presenters:
Sonya Waddell
Vice President & Economist,
Federal Reserve Bank Of Richmond
Anita R. Brown-Graham
Professor Of Public Law & Government.
Director Of Ncimpact Initiative & Gladys Hall Coates
Unc School Of Government
October 2022
THE TIPPING POINT:
WHERE EDUCATION MEETS WORKFORCE
Presenters:
Jim Hansen
Regional President,
Pnc Bank Eastern Carolinas And Southeast Territory Executive
EDUCATION PANEL:
Dr. Lane Mills
Superintendent, Wilson County Schools
Dr. Doug Searcy
President, Barton College
Dr. Tim Wright
President, Wilson Community College
Gale Force Demographic Wind Gusts:
The Future Competitiveness of Wilson County
Presenters:
Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr
Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship,
Director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center,
UNC Chapel Hill, Kenan–Flagler Business School
Presentation Link:
Gale Force Demographic Wind Gusts:The Future Competitiveness of Wilson County
May 2022
2020
#ReCONNECT Differently
Presenters:
Mr. Leslie Boney
Director, Institute of Emerging Issues
Vice Provost, Outreach and Engagement, NC State University
Dr. Lane Mills
Superintendent, Wilson County Schools
Mr. Dante Pittman
Hometown Fellow - Lead for North Carolina
City Government of Wilson, NC
UNC School of Government
Presentation Link:
#ReCONNECTDifferently
2019
#CONNECTFORWARD
Presenters:
Mr. Tom Looney
Chief Strategy Officer, Trill AI
Retired, VP & General Manager of Lenovo North America
Dr. Katherine Loflin
Principal & Founding Partner, Amazing Place Productions
Strategic Partnerships, UNC’s Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lab
Presentation Link:
#CONNECTFORWARD
2018
#ForwardThinking
Presenters:
Mr. Frank E. Emory Jr.
Chairman, Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Dr. Elizabeth Tilson
State Health Director & Chief Medical Officer, NC Department of Health & Human Services
Presentation Link:
#ForwardThinking
2017
Partnerships with Innovative Solutions for
Unemployment & Workforce Development
Presenters:
Mr. Kip Blakely
Vp Of Industry And Government Relations, Haeco Americas
Mr. Ben David
District Attorney: Fifth Judicial District, New Hanover And Pender Counties
Presentation Link:
Partnerships With Innovative Solutions for Unemployment & Workforce Development
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2016
Creating Wilson’s Future
with Innovative Solutions
Presenters:
Dr. Anita Brown-Graham
Executive Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, NC State University
Presentation Link:
Creating Wilson’s Future With Innovative Solutions
2015
Disruptive Demographics and the Future
Competitiveness of Wilson County, NC
Presenters:
Dr. James H. Johnson, Jr
Willian Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship & Strategy Director
Kenan-Flagler Business School, Director, Urban Investment Strategies Center, UNC Chapel Hill
