Members of the various NC Chamber boards convened in Charlotte last week to close out 2022. In the Annual Meeting of the Board, members approved the slate of directors and officers. Notably, Sepi Saidi will wrap up her term as chair this year following the sale of her business in September.  

When she started her term as chair, Sepi told our membership, “I am always on the lookout for opportunities to turn today’s possibilities into tomorrow’s realities.” She has certainly done exactly that, not just for the NC Chamber but for her own business, and North Carolina’s greater business community. 

Born in Iran, Sepi has long championed women in the workplace and the C-suite specifically. She launched SEPI Engineering & Construction, a full-service civil engineering consultancy firm, in 2001 and built it into one of the fastest-growing companies in the Southeast. SEPI announced its combination with TranSystems in September.   

Sepi’s story is proof positive of North Carolina’s position as the #1 state for business. We thank her for her thoughtful leadership. Sepi will remain on the executive committee, and we are appreciative of her continued service.  

Derek Steed; senior vice president, secretary, and general counsel at Glen Raven; will begin a two-year term as chair of the NC Chamber in January. The officers are rounded out with Jule Smith, president and CEO of Construction Partners Inc., as first vice chair; David Weaver, chief commercial community banking officer at Truist Financial Corporation, as second vice chair; Laura Bunn, Triangle market president at First Horizon Bank, as treasurer; Janel Boyd, director of executive services and board engagement at the NC Chamber, as secretary; and Sepi Saidi as immediate past chair.  

In addition to the slate, the NC Chamber Board of Directors approved the 2023 Legislative Agenda, which the Government Affairs team is already working in preparation for the start of the legislative long session in January.  

The NC Chamber Foundation is poised to advance the Talent Pipeline Management program significantly in 2023. We look forward to sharing more about the Foundation’s recently approved director of the Institute for Workforce Competitiveness in January.  

The Strategic Initiative Boards on Business Continuity, Corporate Communications; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Infrastructure, and Talent Supply continue to advance their initiative to prepare for and recover from an unexpected natural, public health, or security crisis in the future and chairs of each of those groups discussed that work. Stay tuned for more details on our inaugural Business Continuity Summit, planned for fall 2023.