The Connector

Great teachers are at the heart of successful workforce development. Celebrating a quarter-century of impact since its inception in 2000, NC State’s Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership (KFP) recognizes the vital role educators play in empowering students and shaping the workforce of tomorrow. Partnering with industry experts and community leaders, KFP offers K-12 educators innovative immersion experiences within local indu...

Today's youth are the workforce of tomorrow. In this episode of "The Connector," IEI Director Sarah Hall sits down with two leaders who are revolutionizing high school education and workforce development: SparkNC President Dr. Lynn Moody and District C CEO Dan Gonzalez, to talk about their unique model for empowering high school students to build skills and explore careers in the tech industry. Now in more than 25 sc...

Imagine getting a raise, only to lose more in vital public assistance for necessities like food, housing and childcare. This is referred to as the “benefits cliff,” a concept many North Carolinians learned about at the 2024 Emerging Issues Forum on financial resilience. Public assistance programs often lack a gradual reduction in benefits as a household's income increases, leading to an abrupt “drop off” once a certain income ...

How can we empower the next generation to shape sustainable cities? In this special episode of “The Connector,” IEI’s 2024-2025 Hunt Intern Katherine Helms speaks with three urban planning experts: NC State University Joseph D. Moore Distinguished Professor and Faculty Scholar Dr. Kofi Boone, City of Raleigh Senior Energy & Sustainability Strategist James Hardin and McAdams Principal and Vice President of Urban Planning Mitchel...

North Carolina’s rapid population growth presents significant housing and real estate challenges. In this episode of “The Connector,” IEI Director Sarah Hall is joined by award-winning author and Peter A. Pappas Real Estate Development Program Director Chuck Flink. Together, they chat about the backstory of the Pappas Real Estate Development Program within NC State’s College of Design, and how this unique educational program equips...

Many families across North Carolina are unprepared for an economic downturn or just one emergency away from a financial crisis. According to a 2023 survey by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 40 percent of American households reported they would be unable to cover more than a month’s expenses if they lost their main source of income. The 2024 Emerging Issues Forum examined financial resilience: a household’s ability to fina...

The 2023 Emerging Issues Forum, Talent First Economics, examined labor force participation and the barriers various worker groups face in finding and keeping jobs. A key barrier identified was access to childcare for parents and caregivers of young children.

This episode of "The Connector" features IEI Director Sarah Hall joined by three special guests: NC Department of Commerce Child Care Business Liaison Samantha Cole, N...

Over the next three years, IEI’s Emerging Issues Forum will examine North Carolina’s key infrastructure needs as a result of the state’s rapidly growing population and evolving economic opportunities. The Future Forward Infrastructure series will focus on three interrelated issues: energy, water and housing, while also folding in other challenges and themes like transportation, broadband access, workforce development and affordabil...

What exactly is the educational attainment gap? Why should North Carolinians care and how are we tackling this challenge?

For the 2022 Emerging Issues Forum, IEI partnered with myFutureNC to highlight North Carolina’s educational attainment gap and the state’s goal of 2 million North Carolinians aged 25-44 holding an industry-valued credential or postsecondary degree by the year 2030. 

In this episode of The Connector, IEI Director S...

In this episode of The Connector, IEI Director Sarah Hall is joined by Forbes Field Associates Principal Ron Painter to talk about workforce development in North Carolina and the importance of bolstering today's workforce leaders while building the leaders of tomorrow. They also give a preview of the 2025 Strategic Workforce Leadership Initiative, a comprehensive professional development program designed for leaders engaged in...

In this episode of “The Connector,” IEI Policy and Program Manager Tarik Woods sits down with Chris Carmody, Executive Director of the Carolinas Clean Energy Business Association, and Dr. Deb Wojcik, Executive Director of Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster. Together, they discuss North Carolina’s energy goals, what it will take to achieve them, and the economic advantages of a forward-thinking energy economy that balances the need...

Have you ever wondered where the energy that powers your home comes from, how it is generated and what careers are available in the energy industry?

In this episode of “The Connector,” NC Sustainable Energy Association Director of Policy Cassie Gavin and BEST NC Vice President of Policy and Programs Maureen Stover join IEI Policy and Program Manager Tarik Woods to talk about how energy policy works, the basics of North Carolina’s en...

In this episode and season two premiere of The Connector, host and IEI Policy and Program Manager Tarik Woods is joined by Dr. Michael “Mike” Cline, North Carolina’s State Demographer, and Alyssa Brown Moseley, Research Director at Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC). 

North Carolina is expanding rapidly. Most projections estimate that by 2050 more than 14 million people will call North Carolina home, surpassi...

In this episode of The Connector, The Collaborative Executive Director Marquita Robertson and Center for Responsible Lending Director of NC Policy Rochelle Sparko speak with Institute for Emerging Issues Communications Director Jennifer Heiss about what it means to be unbanked, and steps those who are unbanked can take to protect their money and get set up with FDIC insured bank accounts.

This episode is part of a special podcast se...

In this episode of The Connector, SaverLife Vice President of Research and Policy Mat Despard speaks with Institute for Emerging Issues Communications Director Jennifer Heiss about how employer benefits - such as access to healthcare, retirement savings accounts, and more - can help employees and their families achieve household financial resilience. 

This episode is the first in a special podcast series highlighting themes that cam...

In this episode of The Connector, Institute for Emerging Issues Communications Intern Adam Sichel speaks with IEI Director Sarah Hall and National Advisory Board Member Jack Cecil about how IEI’s Emerging Issues Forums from 2022 to 2024 all tie together as a thematic three-part series on supporting North Carolinians’ economic development. 

Cecil and Hall discuss the goals behind developing this series of forums, as well as how pivot...

In the latest episode of The Connector, IEI Communications Director Jennifer Heiss speaks with Melissa Hart, senior lecturer in finance at NC State University Poole College of Management and adjunct professor at UNC Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, about educating students of all ages on personal finance. Hart discusses the role technology plays in accessing personal finance information, and strategies for making the best...

As the first full year of The Connector Podcast comes to a close, IEI Director Sarah Hall and IEI Director of Community Initiatives Samantha Graham ask the question: What gives you hope? Podcast guests answered this question throughout the year, giving listeners insight into the unique challenges and successes they see across the state in increasing educational attainment, bridging North Carolina’s digital divide, and more. This ep...

It’s the holiday season! As you prepare to gather with friends and family, now is also a great time to prepare to handle conflict and difficult conversations that may come up during your holiday gathering.

In this episode of The Connector, IEI Director Sarah Hall speaks with MDC Vice President of Partnerships and Programs Calvin Allen and MDC Program Director Kathryn Gaasch about navigating conflict during the holidays. Allen and Ga...