Greater Raleigh Chamber Blog

The Raleigh Chamber is committed to helping women advance their careers during Women’s History Month and all year long. On May 23, the Chamber will host amazing women in leadership at our annual Women’s Leadership Conference, presented by PNC. 

Attendees Can Learn from Several of the Breakout Sessions Below:

The Art of Actively Managing Your Career
Discover and understand your leadership style to achieve success as your authentic self!
 
A Courageous Mindset
Get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Learn how to develop a courageous mindset of success from an NC Courage player!
 
Curating Your Own Board of Advisors
Learn how to invest in your own Board of Advisors/Accountability Group through networking, fostering relationships, and curating a diversity of thought with various genders, ages, races, and management levels.
 
Growing Together: Negotiating Talent Retention
Learn strategies to negotiate talent retention and discuss the wants, expectations, and communication tactics of businesses and employees.

Feedback is a G.I.F.T.
G.I.F.T. Given with permission, Intent is for growth, For the person, not about the person, Targeted for success. If you want to grow professionally, learn how to receive, give, and ask for feedback.

“Quiet Hiring”
The concept of “Quiet Hiring” and its impact on professional women - instead of making new hires, employers give more work to an existing employee and typically this person is a woman.

• What is it?
• How to recognize it.
• How to have a conversation about it with your leader.
• What to prioritize and what to pause.
• The economics behind it.
• How to leverage it.

This year’s Women’s Leadership Conference will bring established business leaders who support women in the workplace into the conversation. Attendees will receive tools, tactics, and inspiration to build a more equitable, fulfilling future for themselves and others. Check our event page for additional content and speakers.

Happy Women’s History Month! We hope you will continue to celebrate and empower women with us this May at the 2023 Women’s Leadership Conference: Envision & Achieve!
​

Leadership Raleigh: Health & Human Services Day
Sponsored by Barnhill Contracting Company, Catering Works, and Skanska USA Building

Written By Sloane Heffernan

We put our finger on the pulse of Raleigh during the Leadership Raleigh March class focused on Health & Human Services.
​
The day began with a behind-the-scenes tour of PNC Arena from Jeff Merritt, Executive Director at Centennial Authority/PNC Arena. He shared the history and highlights of the arena in this VIP tour where the class got a spectacular bird’s eye view from the press box and stood in the backstage loading dock where amazing athletes and performers traverse before walking onto the stage. Merritt shared some of the unique requests his team had received from musicians who perform at PNC, such as Elton John reportedly asking for a separate room for his bobble-head collection!

We also learned that PNC Arena hosted its largest crowd (20,053) when Metallica came to Raleigh. The arena plays a big role in the economic health of the region. Merritt shared that 46% of the arena visitors are from outside the Raleigh area and fill an estimated 200-thousand rooms annually. The hospitality tax collected from those visitors helps financially support the arena. We also got the scoop on an exciting renovation project planned for PNC arena that includes opening a section to create a space for eating and drinking with a 360-degree view of the action.

Leadership Raleigh Class 46 then traveled to All Faiths Chapel at Dix Park for an engaging panel entitled: Hospital Leadership Forum - Where We’ve Been and What’s Next. It focused on the challenges, priorities, and needs in our healthcare systems. Representatives from Wake Med, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and UNC Rex Healthcare shared the struggles they face, from staffing shortages to the mental health crisis. We learned more about a new behavioral health hospital and the pending Medicaid expansion that should help improve care in our region.

Following the panel, we participated in a powerful Community Action Poverty Simulation led by Marisa Bryant, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Public School Forum of North Carolina and proud supporter of the Junior League of Raleigh. Each of us was assigned a persona and different life situations for the exercise where we faced unique circumstances, from being homeless to raising grandchildren while on disability. It was an eye-opening experience that made many of us realize the immense stress and difficult decisions that people in poverty face each and every day. We learned that 92-thousand people live in poverty in Wake County, 18% of those who live in poverty are children, and the average wait for federally subsidized housing in Wake County is four to seven years.

Executive Director of Dix Park for the City of Raleigh, Kate Pearce, then guided our Leadership Raleigh class on a walking tour of Dix Park land and facilities. Pearce was a walking historian reciting stories from Dix’s past as a plantation and psychiatric hospital. It was exciting to hear how the history will be incorporated into the future park with the Cultural Interpretive Plan. The first major park restoration project is the massive $62 million dollar playground, Gipson Play Plaza, that has been designed by a German company known for putting the “play” in playgrounds.

We ended the walking tour at the lovely Flowers Cottage at Dix Park. The cottage porch has one of the best views of the downtown Raleigh skyline and was a great location to end the day with networking and snacks. One thing we all agreed on? The pulse of the city has never been stronger!

For over 54 years, Leadership Raleigh has provided business and community leaders with the opportunity to discover the Triangle Region while making a lasting impact as a part of their project teams. Each team is responsible for supporting their chosen non-profit and they would love your help to make a difference! Check out a few of the projects below and see how you can get involved.
 
Leadership Raleigh Class 45 Projects:
 
Oak City Cares Birthday Bash
Thursday, April 13 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Maywood Hall and Gardens, located at 626 Maywood Ave., Raleigh NC 27603
Tickets are $35, which includes food and beverage tickets. The event will also feature a raffle with some exciting prizes from local businesses - raffle tickets available for purchase on site.
To join us, purchase your event ticket here.
For more information, contact Erica Boles at [email protected].
 
Frankie Lemmon’s Gettin’ Piggy With It with Lawrence Barbecue & Friends
Sunday, May 21 | Noon – 6 p.m.
Maywood Hall and Gardens, located at 626 Maywood Ave. Raleigh, NC 27603
To join us, purchase your event ticket here after April 19.
For more information, contact Austin Wiser at [email protected].
 
Leadership Raleigh Class 46 Projects:
 
Note in the Pocket’s 10th Annual Socks & Undie 5K Rundie Run/Walk
Saturday, April 22 | 9 a.m. Kids Fun Run + 9:30 a.m. 5K
Note in the Pocket, located at 4730 Hargrove Road, Raleigh, NC 27616
To support or join us, visit our team page here.
For more information, contact Melanie Hawley at [email protected].
 
12th Annual bEARTHday Celebration
Saturday, April 22 | 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Raleigh City Farm, located at 800 N. Blount St., Raleigh, NC 27604
To support or join us, visit the event page here.
For more information, contact Heather Gately at [email protected].
 
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Saturday, June 3 & Saturday, June 17
Help deliver 20 beds for kids that need them, adults only please.
To help support, visit our team page here.
For more information, contact Megan Loftin at [email protected].
 
We hope to see you at several of these exciting community events! To learn more about the Raleigh Chamber’s Leadership Raleigh program visit our website and/or sign up for one of two upcoming information sessions on March 23 and April 12.