Leading on Opportunity Announces the Launch of the North Mecklenburg Economic Mobility Collaborative

Uniting for Change in North Mecklenburg County

Community leaders in Davidson, Cornelius, and Huntersville unite for transformative change.

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A Year of Igniting Change: 2019

In 2019, we set our sights on our North Star Goal with input from hundreds across Charlotte-Mecklenburg along the way. Learn about our work and community impact this year.

Meeting Presents Opportunity to Galvanize Community for Lakeview

WSOC TV • Kevin Campbell - August 28, 2019

“We need to lift up potential bright spots in neighborhoods like Lakeview,” Cooper-Lewter said. “If things are going to change, we have to have conversations and work.”

Community Conversation: The American Dream vs. Charlotte Reality

WBTV • Dedrick Russell - July 26, 2019

Featuring Leading on Opportunity Executive Director Stephanie Cooper-Lewter, Leading on Opportunity Council Member and County Manager Dena Diorio, and community organizations like Crisis Assistance Ministries, Central Piedmont Community College, the Urban League of Central Carolinas, Meck Pre-K, and Workforce Investment Network.

GreenLight Fund Invests $1 Million in Early Childhood Initiative

Queen City Nerve • Ryan Pitkin - May 29, 2019

“This investment connects directly to our early care and education strategies,” [Leading on Opportunity Executive Director] Cooper-Lewter continued. “It aligns and fills a gap where early care recommendations were not being addressed and says, ‘This is something that we can do differently as a community.’”

As Employment Rises, African American Transplants Ride Job Wave to the South

NPR • Daniella Cheslow - May 23, 2019

Don Thomas is on the front lines of that change. In Chicago, he and his wife Monica worked with children in the juvenile justice system until funding for their jobs ended. In Charlotte, he is the community impact director at Leading on Opportunity, an organization devoted to improving economic mobility in the city.

Taking the Lead: Leading on Opportunity Advances the Call for Economic Mobility

Foundation For The Carolinas • March 27, 2019

Launched in 2017, the Leading on Opportunity Council is already reshaping the way the community looks at economic mobility, from improving access to preschool to increasing funds for affordable housing.

How Charlotte Has Changed After Two Years of Focus on Economic Mobility

Charlotte Business Journal • Erik Spanburg - March 27, 2019

Affordable housing, economic mobility and more educational and training opportunities are all part of public-private efforts started two years ago with the release of a 73-page task force report. On Tuesday, CEOs, political leaders and nonprofit executives pledged to keep pushing for investments to improve the standard of living for people in need.

Boosting Economic Mobility Could Take a Generation, Leaders Are Told

WFAE • David Boraks - March 26, 2019

It's been two years since a task force of Charlotte leaders published the Leading on Opportunity report. It outlined 21 strategies to improve economic mobility after a national study ranked Charlotte last out of 50 cities. Hundreds of business and civic leaders gathered uptown Tuesday to review the effort so far.

Celebrating Our 50 Inaugural Opportunity Champions

Leading on Opportunity • Stephanie Cooper-Lewter - March 26, 2019

It's going to take all of us to move Charlotte from 50 out of 50 in economic mobility. So we set a goal to build an Opportunity Movement that celebrates everyone's contributions.