Spring is the season of new beginnings. At the Institute for Emerging Issues, the season brings about a new focus on work related to the 2026 and 2027 Emerging Issues Forums, as well as several of our community initiatives.

Earlier this month, the Water Infrastructure Advisory Council reconvened to finalize the draft Strategies for Strengthening Our Water Infrastructure. We look forward to releasing the final strategies soon!

Our team also kicked off the program of work for the 2027 Emerging Issues Forum on housing with a leadership breakfast featuring experts in housing and related areas. The discussions that took place during this event will help us identify the specific areas where IEI can have the greatest impact on North Carolina’s housing landscape.

Finally, as part of our infrastructure-focused partnership with the NC Rural Center, our team was honored to lead several breakout sessions and two plenary sessions at this year’s NC Rural Summit in Raleigh.

We didn’t just talk about the massive infrastructure challenges North Carolina is facing today and in the future; we shared a menu of cross-sector, consensus-based solutions for participants to consider, as well as many examples of how other communities across the state (and world) are addressing these issues. Our partnership with the NC Rural Center allowed us to double our reach and get these recommendations to the people leading rural North Carolina.

Rural communities are the backbone of North Carolina. We are thankful to our friends at the NC Rural Center for affording us the opportunity to share connections and insights on energy, water and housing with leaders committed to the prosperity of rural North Carolina communities.

Our Community Initiatives are also busy preparing for several convenings in the coming year.

In the coming weeks, our team will launch the application period for the Spring 2026 Strategic Workforce Leadership Initiative, taking place in June. Fill out our interest form to be among the first to know about the next cohort!

IEI’s BAND-NC program continues to move closer to its goal of having a digital inclusion plan in place for all 100 North Carolina counties. We look forward to highlighting some of the impactful stories that have come from this critical work in the coming weeks. Our team is also in the early planning stages for the next NC Digital Opportunity Gathering with the NC Department of Information Technology.

And finally, our Faith and Community Initiative team is in the early stages of planning the next annual conference, while also coordinating monthly peer network groups for faith leaders, laity and rural community leaders to learn more about housing and other IEI issue areas.

We have a full season ahead of us. We look forward to sharing what we learn with you!