The NC Chamber Foundation is committed to driving statewide prosperity through data-driven research, collaborative leadership, and employer-led solutions. Central to this mission is NC Leads—our strategic plan focused on strengthening North Carolina’s long-term competitiveness by addressing education and talent supply, infrastructure and growth, and the state’s business climate.

Thanks to the continued investment of our NC Leads investors, the second quarter of 2025 marked significant progress in turning strategy into impact.

In Q2, the NC Chamber Foundation:

In partnership with the Golden LEAF Foundation and with support from the NC Farm Bureau and Google, we released the NC Ag Leads Strategic Plan—the first industry-led strategic plan of its kind in the U.S.  

Built on over a year of research and statewide engagement, the plan reflects the voices of farmers, agribusiness leaders, and educators across the state. The plan identifies consensus-driven strategies across seven priority areas to strengthen market access, workforce development, land use and more. 

What’s next: We are now moving from planning to action to ensure long-term sustainability, profitability, and competitiveness for North Carolina’s leading industry. The next steps for implementation include identifying funding for a farmer-engaged ag tech accelerator, advancing Extension service reform, and pursuing a statewide talent management strategy to address agriculture workforce needs.   

We completed the engagement phase of our research to shape a business-driven energy vision for North Carolina. This rigorous process included surveys, focus groups, and interviews with subject matter experts and leaders from agriculture, manufacturing, life sciences, construction, healthcare, utilities, retail, grocery, technology, small business, and more. The resulting strategy will align energy planning with economic growth and competitiveness.  

What’s Next: The final report will be released in Q3. 

Through the NC Health Talent Alliance and our expanding Talent Pipeline Management® work, our team developed a series of transformational tools that align workforce supply with employer demand — laying the foundation for a stronger, more resilient nursing talent pipeline in North Carolina. 

Key Workforce Tools Developed: 

• RN Refresher Activation Toolkit— helps employers and education programs unlock underutilized pathways to relicense nurses 

• Dynamic Forecasting Models — provide real-time data to guide smarter resource allocation and investment decisions 

• Structured Employer-Student Engagement Playbook — practical guidance to connect learners directly with employment opportunities 

• Operational Workforce Alignment Guides — link program-level actions to regional workforce goals and employer needs 

Field Testing Underway: Regions across North Carolina are beginning to pilot tools with early, promising results in better aligning workforce supply and demand. Insights from these pilots will inform future policy and funding recommendations. 

What’s Next – Expanding Talent Pipeline Management®: While healthcare was the first focus area, we’re broadening our Talent Pipeline Management work into manufacturing and agriculture, exploring future pilots and partnerships.  

Child Care + Family Support: Research Driving Statewide Action
The Essentials for Childhood action plan — developed by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) and co-chaired by NC Chamber Foundation President Meredith Archie — outlines 15 recommendations and 43 strategies to prevent adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and promote positive childhood experiences (PCEs) that support long-term health and stability. The report cites the Foundation’s child care research and NC Health Talent Alliance work as critical resources and opportunities to promote positive childhood experiences and strengthen long-term stability for families. 

In addition, we elevated our child care and housing research at key national and state events, including the U.S. Chamber’s Early Childhood and Business Advisory Council Southern State Convening, NC’s State of the Child Summit and Leadership North Carolina’s Annual Forum, helping to shape policy conversations on these vital issues. 

In May, at the invitation of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Trade Council of Denmark in the U.S., Dana Magliola, NC Chamber Foundation senior director of infrastructure competitiveness, joined a North Carolina delegation to study Denmark’s industrial symbiosis model, where companies across sectors share resources—like energy, water, and materials—to reduce waste and create mutual business value. 

The delegation, which included North Carolina business, policy, and academic leaders, visited the Danish Energy Agency and toured sites including Novo Nordisk and Novonesis, along with carbon capture, port, and wastewater operations. Since returning, the NC Chamber Foundation facilitated statewide conversations on how these strategies could improve NC’s infrastructure, sustainability, and competitiveness, with growing interest across manufacturing, life sciences, and agriculture.