This month, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about return on investment (ROI) across a wide range of topics. Take the value of education here at NC State, for example. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes initiative, our median bachelor’s graduates nearly double their earnings within their first decade in the workforce. Ten years after graduation, 68% of our bachelor’s graduates are still working in the state, exceeding the UNC System rate of 66%, and over half of these graduates are employed in four of the state’s highest-demand sectors. This ROI goes beyond the individual graduate—it fuels the industries and economic engine of North Carolina.

At IEI, we approach community investment in the same way. Last fall, in our 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report, we highlighted that nearly two-thirds of our expenditures were sourced outside of NC State, and that nearly 60% of those external funds were directly reinvested in local communities as grants, capacity-building and peer-learning resources. Beyond these financial investments, the true power of our work lies in the dedicated time we spend on collaboration and strategic planning.

One example of this collaborative investment followed the 2023 Emerging Issues Forum, Talent First Economics, when we teamed up with several statewide organizations to address a critical gap in regional workforce development. Together, we piloted and refined the Strategic Workforce Leadership Initiative, which now boasts a growing alumni base of 70 leaders. In fact, our upcoming Spring 2026 Cohort in June filled to capacity just a month after registration opened. This feat underscores a deep, collective hunger for this work, demonstrating the immense value of the program to the participants and the communities they serve.

Another example, connected to our 2020 Emerging Issues Forum, ReConnect to Technological Opportunity, was a bold goal to partner with the state’s Regional Councils of Government and other multi-sector local leaders to ensure every county has a digital inclusion plan to help close the digital divide. I’m proud to share that we are close to achieving this milestone, and that communities across the state have been able to leverage these plans to secure follow-on investment and implement key strategies.

As we look ahead and shape our next strategic plan, we are taking a deep dive into our public policy framework to amplify our impact. Moving forward, our mission remains clear: continuing to ensure that our work and every initiative we launch delivers a profound, lasting return of investment that reverberates across all 100 counties of North Carolina. This is an exciting new chapter for IEI, and we are so grateful to have you walk alongside us as we build a vibrant and prosperous future for our state together.