NC Chamber President and CEO Gary Salamido joins North Carolina legislators and academic leaders as a member of the new Hunt-Lee Commission to help identify issues and inform policy for strengthening education systems statewide. The commission, named after North Carolina Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. and Institute Board Members Senator Howard Lee and Senator Michael Lee, will unite the business, academic, and philanthropic communities with bipartisan lawmakers to activate solutions for the challenges impacting public education, workforce development, and talent supply.

During the next year, commission members will meet four times to examine strategies on four key education issues: access, alignment, funding, and transitions and completion. State and national experts will present to the commission as members develop a set of recommendations across policy and practice. In spring of 2022, the Hunt-Lee Commission will release a final report with these recommendations for advancing student success in early childhood, K-12, and higher education.

Serving on the Hunt-Lee Commission will further the NC Chamber’s work in aligning the state’s education systems with job creators so that North Carolinians, of all ages, are empowered with high-quality credentials or post-secondary degrees that match business demands. More than half of North Carolinians ages 25-44 have only a high school degree. Around 1.2 million North Carolina adults have had some college but have not completed a program.

Collaboration between educators and employers is essential to recruiting and retaining a competitive, diverse, and world-class workforce for North Carolina. The NC Chamber looks forward to engaging with fellow members of the Hunt-Lee Commission because a skilled and educated workforce is the cornerstone of a strong and healthy economy.