Episode 237: First in Future: Patrick Miller and Brad Wilson
Summary: A little more than a year ago a report that was in many ways 25 years in the making came out. Over the course...
First in Future: The Emerging Issues Podcast
First in Future: Where Emerging Ideas Take Flight is a podcast of the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State University that connects you with people thinking big thoughts about the future of North Carolina. Each week, we talk with business leaders, elected officials, researchers, people working bottom up and top down to make North Carolina great. We hope you’ll use their thinking to jumpstart your thinking about our state – where it is and where we might go together.
Know a North Carolinian who’d be a great guest for our podcast? We want to connect with the people you know – the forward-thinkers, the problem-solvers, the futurists, the leaders, the movers and shakers and changemakers. Scour your LinkedIn and cross-check your Rolodex; if you know someone working to make North Carolina a better place to work, live and play, we want to talk with them! Submit your guest ideas here!
Thank you to our past sponsors of First in Future Live Zoomcasts:
Tony McLean Brown
Director of Strategic Investments at Public Consulting Group, Inc. (PCG)
IEI National Advisory Board Member
Episode 236: First in Future: Tony Marshall on apprenticeships
Summary: Recently, the US has been getting more serious about an idea that European countries have been doing for a long time, apprenticeships. What happens...
235a First in Future: Kel Landis in memoriam
Summary: North Carolina lost a really important citizen, Kel Landis. Kel was a North Carolina zealot. Someone who lived a life where, as our farmers...
Episode 235: First in Future: Dan Barkin of Business NC
Summary: This episode of First in Future we hear from Dan Barkin of Business NC. As the former managing editor of The News & Observer,...
Episode 234: First in Future: Tom Campbell of NC Spin
Summary: Starting in 1998 and with over 1,000 shows, North Carolina’s longest running show came to close at the end of 2020. This episode of...
Episode 233: First in Future: Laura Marx and Anita Barker of the United Way
Summary: When the pandemic hit, calls to United Way NC’s 211 line for assistance tripled. Now the organization has taken a close look at what...
Episode 232: First in Future: The Doughnut Hole (part 3) – Chris Fitzsimon and John Hood
Summary: In the final part of our three-part series on NC’s political center, we talk with Chris Fitzsimon, Director and Publisher of The Newsroom and...
Episode 231: First in Future: The Doughnut Hole (part 2) – Page Lemel and Mike Hawkins
Summary: North Carolina’s fastest growing group of voters are “unaffiliated.” About 1/3 of those registered don’t register with any party. That should mean that there’s...
Episode 230: First in Future: The Doughnut Hole (part 1) – Mebane Rash
Summary: NC has a long history of governing from something more or less resembling a middle. But this election season the state appeared to divide...
Episode 229: First in Future: North Carolina’s Poet Laureate – Jaki Shelton Green
Summary: This episode of First in Future, we hear from North Carolina’s Poet Laureate, Jaki Shelton Green. She speaks to our hearts with a message...
Episode 228: First in Future: The Ties That Bind Us (part 3) – Zachary Barricklow
Summary: This is part three of a three episode series of First in Future, where we focus on community, specifically what people and places in...
Episode 227: First in Future: The Ties That Bind Us (part 2) – Dante Pittman
Summary: This is part of a three episode series of First in Future, where we want to focus on community, specifically what people and places...
Episode 226: First in Future: The Ties That Bind Us (part 1) – Caroline Parker
Summary: This is part of a three episode series of First in Future, where we want to focus on community, specifically what people and places...
Episode 225: First in Future: Mike Ward and Deanna Townsend-Smith
Summary: There is a pretty good consensus that online learning is better this fall than it was last spring for K-12 students. But there’s also...
Episode 224: First in Future: Alicia James
Summary: The latest surveys from the CDC show 41% of survey respondents report mental health issues, three times the number at the same time last...
Episode 223: First in Future: Maggie Woods
Summary: Recently, many have been trying to help our kids with digital homework, or our local government officials have been trying to figure out how...
Episode 222: First in Future: Jess George
Summary: One of the most complicated challenges of the coronavirus has been the need for more broadband. It has been a challenge that the Institute...
Episode 221: First in Future: Lindsey Haynes-Maslow
Summary: As of April this year, 45% of people were self-reporting that their mental health had declined. A survey found 70% of people were screening...
Episode 220: First in Future: Cecilia Holden and Jeni Corn
Summary: Three years ago myFutureNC looked at NC’s future economy and came to the conclusion that to meet the needs of the future, we need...
Episode 219: First in Future: Sarah Hall
Summary: myFutureNC looked at NC’s future economy and came to the conclusion that to meet the needs of the future, we need 2 million more...
Episode 218: COVID in Confinement
Summary: Host Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, talks with special guests William Lassiter (Deputy Secretary, Juvenile Justice, NCDPS), Dave Richard (Deputy...
Episode 217: First in Future: Dr. Rupert Nacoste
Summary: This First in Future episode features Dr. Rupert Nacoste, author of the new book “To Live Woke: Thoughts to Carry in Our Struggle to...
Episode 216: First in Future: Dr. Katherine Mellen Charron
Summary: In celebration of 19th amendment that secured all women the right to vote over 100 years ago, this episode of First in Future, we...
Episode 215: COVID-19 and Child Trauma: Where do we go from here?
Summary: The Institute for Emerging Issues is hosting a series of conversations around early childhood learning focused on how we develop stronger systems in the...
Episode 214: First in Future: Wit Tuttell
Summary: It’s late August and a lot of people are already back in school and back in the swing. Labor Day weekend will mark the...
Episode 213: First in Future: Amy Huffman and Dawn Gibson
Summary: Back to school is back, but this year it is complicated. Universities are trying to have at least face-to-face classes, but it’s not clear...
Episode 212: How Can K-12 Learning Be Better This Fall?
Summary: Host Leslie Boney, Director, Institute for Emerging Issues, talks with special guests Eric Davis (Chair, State Board of Education), Eliz Colbert, Ed.D., (Executive Director,...
Episode 211: First in Future: Director of Rural Forward NC Calvin Allen
Summary: The rural part of our state was already facing a broad range of challenges before the pandemic with shaky economies and health care challenges....
Episode 210: From Crisis to Opportunity in Child Care
Summary: The Institute for Emerging Issues is hosting a series of conversations around early childhood learning focused on how we develop stronger systems in the...
Episode 209: Racial Equity in Criminal Justice
Summary: Leslie Boney, the Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a special virtual conversations discussing “Racial Equity in Criminal Justice” with guests Justice...
Episode 208: First in Future: Chair for the NC School of Science and Math Tom Looney
Summary: The Institute for Emerging Issues is spending a lot of time focusing on the future of education and work. That is the main focus...
Episode 207: Parenting Education Beyond COVID-19
Summary: The Institute for Emerging Issues is hosting a series of conversations around early childhood learning focused on how we develop stronger systems in the...
Episode 206: First in Future: University Entrepreneur in Residence and a Professor of the Practice at UNC Buck Goldstein
Summary: Our US colleges and learning institutions are in unique situations with the uncertain times with safety and quality of education. Our First in Future...
Episode 205: First in Future: Dr. Deepak Kumar and Juvencio Rocha Peralta on disproportionate COVID rates
Summary: African Americans make up 22% of the state’s population, but have 24% of the COVID cases and 33% of the deaths. Ten percent of...
Episode 204: Jumpstarting K-12 Learning
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 203: First in Future: NC State Department of History Professor Craig Friend (revisited)
Summary: To celebrate the Fourth of July, First in Future revisits a special conversation with an American history scholar. Dr. Craig Friend is an NC...
Episode 202: Jumpstart Connectivity- Eliminating The Digital Divide
Summary: Join us for this episode, Jumpstart Connectivity: Eliminating the Digital Divide in North Carolina’s Cities and Towns. How cities and towns across the state...
Episode 201: First in Future: Rev. James White on Juneteenth
Summary: Juneteenth or sometimes called Freedom Day, is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to...
Episode 200: Jumpstarting Local Government
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 199: First in Future: Rebecca Tippett and Stacey Carless on the US Census
Summary: So far this year only a little over half of NC households have self-responded to the Census, and we lag behind other states and...
Episode 198: Jumpstarting Tourism
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 197: First in Future: Lizzy Hazeltine and Melanie Sills
Summary: In a time when we are desperate for local news and are slowly being offered less of it due to downsizing and internet-based operations, how do...
Episode 196: Reflect and have a conversation
Summary: IEI is hosting a conversation around the issues of parenting, policing and systemic racism that the people of our state and nation are grappling...
Episode 195: First in Future: Jordan Roberts Health Care Policy Analyst at the John Locke Foundation
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has generated more attention for telemedicine. As more people access health care through their phones and computers, the John Locke Foundation...
Episode 194: Civic Conversations In Time Of Pandemic
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 193: First in Future: James Ford and Lori Thomas of UNC Charlotte
Summary: A new series of reports from the Urban Institute at UNC Charlotte took a closer look at who has wealth in the Charlotte region...
Episode 192: The Way Back from Unemployment?
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
191a First in Future Remembers Andrea Harris
Summary: First in Future Remembers Andrea Harris North Carolina lost a really good citizen on May 20. Andrea Harris died at the age of 72....
Episode 191: First in Future: CIO of the City of Asheville Jonathan Feldman
Summary: This First in Future episode features Jonathan Feldman, CIO of the City of Asheville, columnist for InformationWeek, author of “Beyond Transparency” and technology speaker...
Episode 190: First in Future: COVID-19 and Mental Health
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 189: First in Future: EVP & General Manager of PrecisionLender Carl Ryden (Part 2)
Summary: This episode of First in Future is the second part of our conversation with Carl Ryden, a business innovator of some amazing companies. Carl...
Episode 188: First in Future: Law Enforcement and the Courts during COVID
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 187: First in Future: EVP & General Manager of PrecisionLender Carl Ryden (Part 1)
Summary: This episode of First in Future, our guest is Carl Ryden, a business innovator of some amazing companies. Carl is a native of Lenoir...
Episode 186: First in Future: Entrepreneurs retooling during COVID
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
185a First in Future: Paula Henderson
Summary: This episode of First in Future features Paula Henderson of SAS. We get to hear about growing up on a farm in rural eastern...
Episode 185: First in Future: President of the Golden LEAF Foundation Scott Hamilton
Summary: On this First in Future episode, we talk with Scott Hamilton, president of the Golden LEAF Foundation. They have been in the news lately,...
Episode 184: First in Future: Getting Every Home Connected
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 183: First in Future: NC State Representative Rev. James Gailliard
Summary:This week’s First in Future guest is NC Representative Rev. James Gailliard, and with all that is going on, a message of faith and hope...
Episode 182: First in Future: Food and Hunger
Summary: Join us for part five of the series with guests Mike Darrow (Executive Director, Feeding the Carolinas) Tessa Thraves (Farm to School Coordinator, NC...
Episode 181: First in Future: Associate Professor of History at NC State Dr. Blair Kelley
Summary: In August, the New York Times Magazine launched a project designed to try to understand the consequences of a system they traced back to...
Episode 180: First in Future: Who’s not getting the message?
Summary: Join us for part four of the series with Juvencio Rocha-Peralta (Executive Director, AMEXCAN), Jeanne Tedrow (President and CEO of the NC Center for...
Episode 179: First in Future: The Impact on Small Business and The Response
Summary: Leslie Boney, Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, hosts a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19) and some of...
Episode 178: First in Future: The Online Learning Dilemma
Summary: The Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, Leslie Boney, will be hosting a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19)...
Episode 177: First in Future: Connecting in Crisis
Summary: The Director of the Institute for Emerging Issues, Leslie Boney, will be hosting a series of virtual conversations discussing the impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19)...
Episode 176: Coronavirus Special Preview
Summary: Coming up on Thursday, the Institute for Emerging Issues is going to be focusing on what some really creative North Carolina leaders are doing...
Episode 175: First in Future: “the Poetry Fox” Chris Vitiello part 2
Summary: Poets can sometimes tell us something we haven’t thought of before, force us to confront a truth we’d rather avoid or help us see...
Episode 174: First in Future: “the Poetry Fox” Chris Vitiello part 1
Summary: Traditionally when you think of poets, they sit in a quiet room and produce distilled wisdom on paper to an internal beat. Those poets...
Episode 173: First in Future: State Board of Education Chair Eric Davis
Summary: This year, the Raleigh-based nonprofit Public School Forum has identified its top education issues to address, to take “immediate and intentional actions to provide each child a sound basic education.” This is...
Episode 172: First in Future: President of the state association of County Commissioners Kevin Austin
Summary: At our ReCONNECT to Technological Opportunity Forum, we heard story after story of people who have access to broadband and how they’re doing amazing things with it. We also...
Episode 171: First in Future: Director of community engagement at Forward Wilkes LB Prevette
Summary: We all know people in our hometowns or neighborhoods who have a way of bringing people and ideas together in a community, big or...
Episode 170: First in Future: Policy and Program Manager at the Institute for Emerging Issues Maggie Woods
Summary: If you are in a business trying to expand markets, on a farm trying to boost yields, helping your kids with homework or a...
Episode 169: First in Future: Founder and Executive Director of the Monti Jeff Polish
Summary: So what is the story of the work you are doing? How can you tell it in a way that will get other people...
Episode 168: First in Future: NC State Senator Harry Brown
Summary: North Carolina has been a long-time leader in making internet available to people across the state, and we were the first place to have every K-12 classroom wired with...
Episode 167: First in Future: NC State Professor Jason Miller (Episode 2 on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)
Summary: In continued honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Institute for Emerging Issues presents the second part of our fascinating conversation with Dr. Jason Miller...
Episode 166: First in Future: NC State Professor Jason Miller (Episode 1 on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)
Summary: In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Institute for Emerging Issues wanted to present the fascinating conversation we had with this week’s First in...
Episode 165: First in Future: IBM Global Lead for Serious Games Phaedra Boinodiris
Summary: Artificial intelligence will soon be making decisions about who gets jobs, whether you get a loan, and what sort of diagnosis you get for...
164a First in Future Remembers Robert Bashford
Summary: North Carolina has lost a great citizen. Dr. Robert Bashford was an NC State graduate, OB/GYN, and Director of Admissions at UNC Medical School....
Episode 164: First in Future: Founder of the Conetoe Family Life Center Rev. Richard Joyner
Summary: We revisit an inspiring conversation we had with Rev. Richard Joyner, to start our new year of First in Future. Growing up in Pitt...
Episode 163: First in Future: co-founder of District C Dan Gonzalez
Summary: In 2016, the Institute for Emerging Issues looked at the future economy and tried to figure out the kinds and numbers of jobs that...
Episode 162: First in Future: President and CEO of North Carolina Technology Association Brooks Raiford
Summary: North Carolina’s tech industry is booming, with more than 250,000 workers at 20,000 firms and a growth of 21 percent over the past five...
Episode 161: First in Future: R&D Vice President at SAS Oita Coleman
Summary: At our upcoming forum in February, IEI will explore strategies to ensure that people across North Carolina can take full advantage of broadband, the...
Episode 160: First in Future: Sr. Director of Trade Skills and Learning Innovation at Lowe’s Companies Michael Mitchell
Summary: A recent study says that 62% of businesses are having trouble filling skilled trades positions, and 74% expect to have trouble in the future....
Episode 159: First in Future: Owner of Rainbow Meadows Farms Sandra Garner
Summary: In the spirit of Thanksgiving, for this week’s First in Future we are talking about turkeys. North Carolina is #2 in the nation for...
Episode 158: First in Future: Associate Professor of Community Psychology at NC State Kwesi Brookins
Summary: NC State strives to think about how students, faculty, and staff can do more to work with the communities that surround us. Early on, NC...
Episode 157: First in Future: Mayor of Troy, North Carolina Sherri Allgood
Summary: Being a mayor is hard. How do you deal with a bypass that diverts traffic around your city? Will improvements to a struggling part...
Episode 156: First in Future: former Navy Lieutenant and entrepreneur Randy Nelson
Summary: One hundred years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, President Woodrow Wilson announced the first observance of...
Episode 155: First in Future: Host of the Carolina Business Review Chris William
Summary: If you’re any kind of business or policy enthusiast and live in the Carolinas, chances are you’ve watched the Carolina Business Review. It’s been...
Episode 154: First in Future: Inspired Randolph
Summary: In 2017 and 2018, the Institute for Emerging Issues spent a lot of time focusing on the economics of early childhood development in North...
Episode 153: First in Future: Executive Director of the Capital Area Workforce Development Board Pat Sturdivant
Summary: In today’s job market, there’s a gap between the number of available jobs and the number of employees with skills for those jobs. It’s...
Episode 152: First in Future: Dean of Metropolitan College at Johnson C. Smith University Laura Colson McLean
Summary: The best estimate of the My Future NC Commission for the number of people in North Carolina who started college but then dropped out...
Episode 151: First in Future: Appalachian State University Professor of History Dr. Karl Campbell
Summary: The next Emerging Issues Forum, ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity, is coming up on October 15 in Charlotte. It’s going to be a day focused...
Episode 150: First in Future: Institute for Emerging Issues Policy and Programs Manager Alicia James
Summary: At IEI, we’re getting ready for our next Emerging Issues Forum, ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity, coming up on October 15 in Charlotte. It’s going...
Episode 149: First in Future: Wake County Commissioner Matt Calabria
Summary: The people that keep our society running—electricians, laborers, technicians, and more—are getting older and nearing retirement. It’s a global issue, as dozens of countries...
Episode 148: First in Future: President of Central Piedmont Community College Dr. Kandi Deitemeyer
Summary: Across North Carolina, our 58 community colleges are designed to be within a few minutes’ drive of every person in the state. They have...
Episode 147: First in Future: President and Board Chair of the John M Belk Endowment MC Belk Pilon
Summary: If you were making a shortlist of family names associated with Charlotte, “Belk” would have to be near the top. Beginning in 1888, the...
Episode 146: First in Future: Chairman of the Centralina Workforce Board Reinaldo Panico Peres
Summary: As you look around Charlotte, one of the things you’ll notice is how diverse it is. Mecklenburg County is diverse racially, with 51% of...
Episode 145: First in Future: Mayor of Charlotte Vi Lyles
Summary: A 2015 report on economic mobility in the U.S. caught Charlotte’s attention. The report looked at the likelihood that someone whose parents’ income ranked...
Episode 144: First in Future: Director of UNC Charlotte Urban Institute Jeff Michael
Summary: Charlotte is a bigger city than Atlanta or Raleigh. It’s the 16th largest metro area in the country. It is the fastest growing city...
Episode 143: First in Future: Dean of Metropolitan College at Johnson C. Smith University Laura Colson McLean
Summary: The best estimate of the My Future NC Commission for the number of people in North Carolina who started college but then dropped out...
Episode 142: First in Future: President of the state association of County Commissioners Kevin Austin
Summary: The Institute for Emerging Issues recently provided a series of workshops at the state’s biggest gathering of underappreciated elected officials—the annual meeting of the...
Episode 141: First in Future: Director of the Mountain Area Workforce Board Nathan Ramsey
Summary: We are living in strange economic times. Right now we have a greater number of jobs in the US – 7 million – than...
Episode 140: First in Future: Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Appalachian State Matt Dull and Entrepreneur Ged Moody
Summary: Many people in NC think we’ve forgotten how to talk to each other. That’s why the Institute for Emerging Issues is taking part in...
Episode 139: First in Future: Assistant Dean for Professional Development at NC State Laura Demarse
Summary: In the old days, getting a master’s degree or a PhD meant you’d likely go into academia. The focus was to get students ready...
Episode 138: First in Future: President of the NC Economic Development Association Dr. Pat Mitchell
Summary: Dr. Pat Mitchell has spent her career thinking about how to make NC a better state. She has been an economic developer, a county...
Episode 137: First in Future: Director of ApprenticeshipNC Kathryn Castelloes
Summary: How can you get a degree without going into debt, get paid while you learn, and end up with a high-skilled job? In North...
Episode 136: First in Future: Executive Director of the Capital Area Workforce Development Board Pat Sturdivant
Summary: In today’s job market, there’s a gap between the number of available jobs and the number of employees with skills for those jobs. It’s...
Episode 135: First in Future: District Attorney for New Hanover and Pender Counties Ben David
Summary: Which is better – a fence at the top of a cliff or an ambulance in the valley below? Our world today seems to...
Episode 134: First in Future: NC State Department of History Professor Craig Friend
Summary: To celebrate the Fourth of July, First in Future brings you a special conversation with an American history scholar. Dr. Craig Friend is an...
Episode 133: First in Future: President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Dr. Patrick Conway (revisit)
Summary: Think about these five guiding leadership principles: family first, health impact, people and culture, learning, and joy in work, that is what this week’s First...
Episode 132: First in Future: Head of the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research at NC State Audrey Jaeger
Summary: One of the most exciting public policy projects going on in North Carolina is the report of the My Future NC Commission. It is...
Episode 131: First in Future: Co-Founder of District C Dan Gonzalez
Summary: In 2016, the Institute for Emerging Issues looked at the future economy and tried to figure out the kinds and numbers of jobs that...
Episode 130: First in Future: President of the NC Community College System Peter Hans
Summary: State of NC community college presidents met recently to work through some of the details of what community colleges could do to help address...
Episode 129: First in Future: NC State Senator Jay Chaudhuri and Senator Danny Earl Britt
Summary: Research shows that more than half of us don’t seek out people whose views are different from ours and we are nearly four times...
Episode 128: First in Future: Founder & CEO of Listen First Project Pearce Godwin
Summary: Last year we talked with Pearce Godwin, a North Carolina native who had an experience on a bus ride in Uganda that changed his...
Episode 127: First in Future: President of the Statesville Chamber of Commerce Shannon Viera
Summary: The growing economy is causing business challenges across the state as communities scramble to attract talented people from other places to work there, and...
Episode 126: First in Future: Rural Faith Communities Program Manager at IEI Kylie Foley
Summary: The years since 2000 have been particularly challenging for Christian churches in the US, the Presbyterian church has lost more than 1 million members,...
Episode 125: First in Future: Senior Vice Provost and Director of Libraries at NCSU Greg Raschke
Summary: There was a recent description of a modern librarian as “equal parts caregiver, local hero and geek squad member.” So the way we learn...
Episode 124: First in Future: Vice President for Resource Development and Partnerships at DHIC Yvette Holmes: Podcast 2 of 2
Summary: Last week we heard from Yvette Holmes, the Vice President for Resource Development and Partnerships at DHIC, which has built about 2,300 affordable housing...
Episode 123: First in Future: Vice President for Resource Development and Partnerships at DHIC Yvette Holmes: Podcast 1 of 2
Summary: Rural areas can not get enough quality housing built. Urban areas have trouble finding land affordable enough in neighborhoods safe enough. An easy solution...
Episode 122: First in Future: President of the North Carolina Society of Hispanic Professionals Marco Zarate
Summary: Twenty years ago, three Latino couples, made up of an engineer, a scientist, an IT professional and three teachers, took a look at what...
Episode 121: First in Future: Chief Executive Officer and President of MCNC Jean Davis
Summary: In 1985, the state of North Carolina jumped way ahead of most of the rest of the country. They asked a fledgling organization called...
Episode 120: First in Future: Chief Executive Officer and President of the Piedmont Triad Partnership Stan Kelly
Summary: A new word to learn is agglomeration; the trend toward increasing concentration of people and jobs in more centralized regions. North Carolina is seeing this...
Episode 119: First in Future: President and CEO of the NC East Alliance John Chaffee
Summary: This week’s First in Future guest, John Chaffee has a lifetime of stories about recruiting outside companies to relocate in eastern North Carolina. That’s...
Episode 118: First in Future: Director of Growth and Communications RIoT Sarah Glova
Summary: In 1982, a revolution began very very quietly, when somebody figured out how to connect a drink machine to the then-fledgling Internet. The drink...
Episode 117: First in Future: Executive Director of AMEXCAN (The Association of Mexicans in North Carolina) Juvencio Rocha Peralta
Summary: In 1980, Juvencio Rocha Peralta became frustrated by the job opportunities in Veracruz Mexico, a town of about 500 people, so he took a...
Episode 116: First in Future: Director of Community and Economic Engagement at Elizabeth City State University Russ Haddad
Summary: As part of our ReCONNECT NC series, the Institute for Emerging Issues is identifying groups of communities where something remarkable is happening. The challenge for all...
Episode 115: First in Future: Growing Outdoor Partnership Sophie Paulos & Noah Wilson
Summary: Today’s First in Future podcast guests Sophie Paulos, Graham County, economic development director and Noah Wilson, Project Manager, Growing Outdoors, Mountain BizWorks are all about...
Episode 114: First in Future: North Carolina State University Dr. Mitch Renkow
Summary: Research shows that whenever a new economic development project is announced as bringing in jobs to a country, less than half of those jobs go...
Episode 113: First in Future: University of North Carolina School of Government Brian Dabson
Summary: None of us exists as islands and as individuals we depend on friends and family, but also on a range of people we don’t know....
Episode 112: First in Future: Executive Director for the Triangle J Council of Governments Lee Worsley
Summary: “When an urban area wins, it ends up being a victory for the entire state, when a rural area struggles, it is a concern for...
Episode 111: First in Future: Policy and Program Manager for the Institute for Emerging Issues Maggie Woods
Summary: The ReCONNECT to Community Impact Report provides a synopsis of the ReCONNECT to Community Forum and provides key statements, findings, readings and further steps for...
Episode 110: First in Future: Principal Founder of Community Food Lab Erin White
Summary: Agriculture is an $84B industry in North Carolina that supports more than 600,000 jobs. North Carolina has set a goal of growing that industry by...
Episode 109: First in Future: President and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Dr. Patrick Conway
Summary: Think about these five guiding leadership principles: family first, health impact, people and culture, learning, and joy in work, that is what this week’s First...
Episode 108: First in Future: co-founder and partner at Plexus Capital Kel Landis
Summary: If you were looking to identify a poster child for citizenship, you could do a lot worse than Kel Landis, co-founder and partner at Plexus...
Episode 107: First in Future: Vice President of Culture, Engagement & Stewardship for Coca-Cola Consolidated Reginald Bean
Summary: Growing up in the streets of Detroit, you could become a victim or become a victor. Reginald Bean chose to become a victor. He...
Episode 106: First in Future: Golden LEAF Foundation President Dan Gerlach
Summary: In the late 1990’s, North Carolina leaders did something remarkable. As part of the national settlement agreement with tobacco companies, North Carolina was projected...
Episode 105: First in Future: Chief Content Officer with UNC-TV and Public Media North Carolina Travis Mitchell
Summary: How do you keep people’s attention in a discarded world? There is the “addiction” model of telling people what they want to know, watch...
Episode 104: First in Future: Executive Director at Kenan Institute for the Arts Corey Madden
Summary: The Institute for Emerging Issues, as part of our ReCONNECT NC series, is trying to figure out how communities can get more people at...
Episode 103: First in Future: Senior Policy and Program Manager at the Institute for Emerging Issues Sarah Langer Hall
Summary: The idea that the rural and urban parts of our state seemed to be getting further and further apart, and this is on the...
Episode 102: First in Future: Explore Elkin Jeff Eidison
Summary: What makes a small town thrive? Downtowns where people come together to see each other and do things. Their story and what makes their...
Episode 101: First in Future: President of the NC Community College System Peter Hans
Summary: What better way to start our next hundred episodes of First in Future, than talking with someone who is looking at our state’s future...
Episode 100: First in Future: Director of ncIMPACT UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government Anita Brown-Graham
Summary: For our 100th First in Future episode we chose a guest who represents IEI’s history, Anita Brown-Graham, director of the Institute for 10 years....
Episode 99: First in Future: Site Administrator for the NC Capitol Building Terra Schramm
Summary: As Halloween fast approaches, did you know SCARY stories abound about Raleigh’s Capitol Building? BAHAHA! Tis TRUE! You see . . . the decades...
Episode 98: First in Future: Rural Opportunity Institute in Edgecombe County Seth Saeugling
Summary: As we get closer to our November 27 Forum called ReCONNECT to Community, we wanted to give you a preview of how citizens are...
Episode 97: First in Future: President of the Student Advisory Board at the Institute of Politics, UNC-Chapel Hill Lucy Russell
Summary: In 2015, the Institute for Emerging Issues found that young people aged 18-29 are less likely to volunteer, give money, participate in groups or...
Episode 96: First in Future: Associate Vice Chancellor for community engagement at East Carolina University Sharon Paynter
Summary: Universities often serve three main roles in society: teaching, researching and engagement (a fancy word for service.) A huge part of community engagement is...
Episode 95: First in Future: Senior Policy Specialist Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA Scott Marlow
Summary: Hurricane Florence really couldn’t have come at a worse time or in a worse way for farmers in southeastern North Carolina. Many farmers were...
Episode 94: First in Future: VP of Partner Services and Public Policy Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC Earline Middleton
Summary: Hurricane Florence has been felt with 1100 roads closed, grocery stores running out of food and farmers loosing their crops and many local food...
Episode 93: First in Future: NCSU Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Co-Director for Coastal Dynamics Design Lab Andrew Fox
Summary: This week, our guest isn’t just a community builder, he’s also a community listener. We talk with Andy Fox, a landscape architect from NC...
Episode 92: First in Future: Tryon International Equestrian Center COO Sharon Decker
Summary: What does one do after leaving the job of top salesperson for an entire state? For Sharon Decker, that doesn’t mean retirement. After serving as Secretary of Commerce...
Episode 91: First in Future: President and CEO of Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Elizabeth Brazas
Summary: Here is a fact, North Carolina citizens are getting older. Currently, there are about 1.6 million citizens who are over 65. Over the next 20...
Episode 89: First in Future: Founder of Kinston Teens Chris Suggs
Summary: Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t...
Episode 88: First in Future: Editorial Strategy Director at The College Board Eric Johnson – Back to School
Summary: This week thousands of freshmen enter college in hopes that in four years they emerge with more knowledge and maturity and a deep substantive understanding...
Episode 87: First in Future: CEO and editor-in-chief of EducationNC Mebane Rash
Summary: The words “public policy” conjure up images in the mind of legislative or municipal hearings or cubes of bureaucrats, but this week’s guest want to...
Episode 86: First in Future: Founder of Highland Brewing Company Oscar Wong – Western NC Week
Summary: In honor of our upcoming forum on civic engagement, ReCONNECT to Community, being held Sept. 17 in beautiful, scenic Asheville, we’re doing something special. This...
Episode 85: First in Future: Mayor of Canton, NC Zeb Smathers – Western NC Week
Summary: In honor of our upcoming forum on civic engagement, ReCONNECT to Community, being held Sept. 17 in beautiful, scenic Asheville, we’re doing something special. This...
Episode 84: First in Future: Executive Director of Community Engagement at UNC Asheville Darin Waters- Western NC Week
Summary: In honor of our upcoming forum on civic engagement, ReCONNECT to Community, being held Sept. 17 in beautiful, scenic Asheville, we’re doing something special. This...
Episode 83: First in Future: President and CEO of Mission Health Dr. Ron Paulus – Western NC Week
Summary: In honor of our upcoming forum on civic engagement, ReCONNECT to Community, being held Sept. 17 in beautiful, scenic Asheville, we’re doing something special. This...
Episode 82: First in Future: President and CEO of Asheville Chamber of Commerce Kit Cramer – Western NC Week
Summary: In honor of our upcoming forum on civic engagement, ReCONNECT to Community, being held Sept. 17 in beautiful, scenic Asheville, we’re doing something special. This...
Episode 80: First in Future: President and CEO of Biltmore Farms Jack Cecil – Western NC Week
Summary: The Asheville of today is a many-splendored thing. It’s appeared on numerous “Best of” lists and received countless titles – like “One of the Best...
Episode 79: First in Future: Founder and CEO of the Listen First Project Pearce Godwin
Summary: Just listen to someone else. Hear what they are saying. Recognize that other people see things from a different angle, and it changes the way...
Episode 78: First in Future: Chancellor of University of North Carolina at Pembroke Dr. Robin Cummings
Summary: Just think about the impact on southeastern North Carolina of a place like UNC Pembroke—an institution originally built to train Native Americans teachers and nurses,...
Episode 77: First in Future: Senior Vice President of North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives Nelle Hotchkiss
Summary: In the 90s, it was recommended that every resident state should have access to affordable high-speed internet. General thinking was that with broadband speeds...
Episode 76: First in Future: Executive Director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Mo Green
Summary: This week’s First in Future guest was a New York born, Georgia raised and Duke educated law clerk, and former school superintendent who’s now the...
Episode 75: First in Future: Senior Fellow, NC Institute of Minority Economic Development Andrea Harris
Summary: This week’s First in Future guest, Andrea Harris, is the Senior Fellow at NC Institute of Minority Economic Development. The past 50 years she’s been...
Episode 74: First in Future: Secretary of North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Larry Hall
Summary: In honor of Independence Day, July 4th, First in Future’s guest is the secretary of North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, Larry Hall....
Episode 73: First in Future: Co- Director of the New Leaders Council of North Carolina Michael Cooper
Summary: A scene is repeated in cities across the state, this company leaves, that plant closes or fails, and it rocks the town to it’s core....
Episode 72: First in Future: Executive Director of the Public School Forum of North Carolina Keith Poston
Summary: What do you think about public schools? Do teachers get paid enough? Are there too many administrators? Do we test students too much? Not enough?...
Episode 71: First in Future: President and CEO of Community Foundation of Western North Carolina Elizabeth Brazas
Summary: Here is a fact, North Carolina citizens are getting older. Currently, there are about 1.6 million citizens who are over 65. Over the next 20...
Episode 70: First in Future: Director of The Shelton Leadership Center at NC State University Barbara Mulkey
Summary: In order to lead people, a leader must know what they think and why and then “bake” that into the culture of their organization—at...
Episode 69: First in Future: Four-time High School Chess Champion Emmanuel Carter
Summary: Imaging how strange it must be to walk down the halls of your high school, the best in the state at something, and nobody...
Episode 68: First in Future: Head of Rural Initiative for UNC School of Medicine Dr. Robert Bashford
Summary: Seventy out of eighty rural North Carolina counties are described as “medical deserts”, meaning they have no primary care doctors. Finding solutions to rural...
First in Future: NC State Vice Provost Dr. Warwick Arden
Summary: How many of you are doing what you thought you would be when you graduated? That is a question that our guest asks when...
Episode 66: First in Future: Jessica Hong, DECA President at Apex Friendship High School
Summary: This week, we talk to Jessica Hong, a junior at Apex Friendship High School and president of her school’s DECA club, an organization that...
Episode 65: First in Future: NC State linguistics professor Walt Wolfram
Summary: If you make judgements about someone based on what they are wearing or how their hair looks or how they talk, you have an...
Episode 64: First in Future: Carolina Demography Founding Director Rebecca Tippett
Summary: Sometimes we try to avoid looking forward, almost like if we ignore the pending changes, they won’t happen. The state’s population is growing and...
Episode 63: First in Future: North Carolina State Senators Jay Chaudhuri and Danny Britt
Summary: A recent survey showed that only a third of millennials consider public service an appropriate career track. A group of young NC legislators want...
Episode 62: First in Future: North Carolina State Treasure Dale Folwell
Summary: “Tell the truth, do the right thing, and let the chips fall where they may.” Those are the words that motivate North Carolina State...
Episode 61: First in Future: Duke Energy Stakeholder Philanthropy Manager Amy Strecker
Summary: In this week’s First in Future, Institute for Emerging Issues Director Leslie Boney talks to Amy Strecker, the stakeholder philanthropy manager for Duke Energy,...
Episode 60: First in Future: NC Spin Host Tom Campbell
Summary: North Carolinians are good people, strong people, people who want to do the right thing, even if it involves debate. Tom Campbell, the host of...
Episode 59: First in Future: Professor at NCSU College of Engineering Larry Silverberg (March Madness Special)
Summary: It’s the middle of March, which means it is time to talk about . . . mechanical and aerospace engineering, and March Madness. The “Sweet...
Episode 58: First in Future: Rural Economic Development Center Board Chair Grant Godwin (Season 2 Premier)
Summary: First in Future begins it’s second season today. Want to know how rural North Carolina’s doing these days? Well, here’s a statistic to think...
Episode 57: First in Future: Transylvania County Commissioner Page Lemel
Summary: Next month the Institute for Emerging Issues will be launching KidsReadyNC, a four-county Tier 1 and Tier 2 focus on early childhood education.This initiative is an...
Episode 56: First in Future: Read Charlotte Executive Director Munro Richardson (Toss-back)
Summary: This week we wanted to revisit our conversation with Read Charlotte Executive Director Munro Richardson and his approach to tackling the goal of doubling...
Episode 55: First in Future: William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations CEO Abdul Rasheed (Toss-back)
Summary: A few months ago, we heard from Abdul Rasheed, CEO of theWilliam C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations, on how to make a difference in...
Episode 54: First in Future: Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina Chair Frank Emory (Toss-back)
Summary: Frank Emory, of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, sat down with us in the summer of 2017 for us to discover many insights, such...
Episode 53: First in Future: Carolina Journal Editor John Hood
Summary: If you’re looking for someone to give you a thorough political summary on the political history of North Carolina and where the Old North State...
Episode 52: First in Future: Duke Endowment President Rhett Mabry
Summary: Well before his passing, James. B. Duke already had a vision for his philanthropic legacy, and he created the Duke Endowment with specific issues...
Episode 51: First in Future: Duke Sanford School of Public Policy Professor Ken Dodge
Summary: Did North Carolina’s investments in pre-kindergarten programs like SmartStart make a difference for our state’s children? How long did the effects last? Did they...
Episode 50: First in Future: UNC-TV Director of Children’s Media and Educational Service Joy Potts
Summary: Over the 31 years of the Emerging Issue Forum, we have had CEOs, governors, and presidents as speakers. The first time ever, we have booked...
Episode 49: First in Future: East Durham Children’s Initiative President & CEO David Reese
Summary: If you are talking to the smartest people in the state, you have to talk to David Reese. He’s figured out how to deliver a...
Episode 48: First in Future: Former Governor James B. Hunt (Part 2)
Summary: As we move into the new year, we sat down with former Governor Jim Hunt to try to exact some of what he has...
Episode 47: First in Future: Former Governor James B. Hunt (Part1)
Summary: Through out his long service to the state, even former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt’s opponents admit that he was a man perfectly suited...
Episode 46: First in Future: Holiday Tree Economics with Mike Walden and Tommy Burleson
Summary: The use of the evergreen trees to symbolize the arrival of winter goes back well beyond 2000 years. But over time they came to...
Episode 45: First in Future: GES Center Co-Director Jennifer Kuzma
Summary: What should we be learning – or having our kids learn – to get them ready for the future? Should we be preparing students with...
Episode 44: First in Future: Golden LEAF Foundation President Dan Gerlach
Summary: In the late 1990’s, North Carolina leaders did something remarkable. As part of the national settlement agreement with tobacco companies, North Carolina was projected...
Episode 43: First in Future: Center for Creative Economy Executive Director Margaret Collins
Summary: What sector of North Carolina’s economy is comprised of 380,000 people, pays $16 billion in wages each year, and generates another $200 million in...
Episode 42: First in Future: NC Department of Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler
Summary: This week’s podcast promotes domestic harmony. You’ll be able to use what you hear around the table to change the subject if one of...
Episode 41: First in Future: Leadership North Carolina President Brian Etheridge
Summary: Brian Etheridge, the president of Leadership North Carolina, each year finds a new crop of 50-some individuals from business, nonprofits, education and government and...
Episode 40: First in Future: Reborn Clothing Co. Co-Founder Emily Neville
Summary: Next week marks the start of Global Entrepreneurship Week – seven days celebrated around the world, with events designed to recognize and encourage more...
Episode 39: First in Future: SEPI Engineering & Construction, Inc. President & CEO, Sepi Saidi
Summary: A couple of weeks ago I went to the Southeast Raleigh Innovation Challenge, a pitch competition designed to get more people thinking about a...
Episode 38: First in Future: Plexus Capital Co-Founder and Partner, Kel Landis
Summary: If you were looking to identify a poster child for citizenship, you could do a lot worse than Kel Landis, co-founder and partner at...
Episode 37: First in Future: NC League of Municipalities’ “Municipal Equations” Host Ben Brown
Summary: When solving big problems, local folks are the canaries in the coalmine – they are likely to notice a problem before anyone else, and more...
Episode 36: First in Future: The N.C. Rural Center President Patrick Woodie
Summary: In the late 1990’s, I worked on a project called the North Carolina Rural Prosperity Task Force. The idea was to develop a series...
Episode 35: First in Future: RTI International President and CEO Wayne Holden
Summary: From the beginning, it was a romantic idea. In 1954, a building contractor named Romeo got together with North Carolina’s state treasurer and a...
Episode 34: First in Future: Entrepreneur, Sift Founder and CEO Jud Bowman
Summary: The old joke about economic developers is that they like to be buffalo hunters; they are always looking for a giant beast of a...
Episode 33: First in Future: Envested Founder and CEO Isa Watson
Summary: If you are a nonprofit wondering how to raise money more effectively, this episode is for you. If you are a business trying to...
Episode 32: First in Future: NC State University Dean for College of Education Dr. Mary Ann Danowitz
Summary: The hardest job I’ve had in my life was my first job out of college. I worked regular 80-90 hour weeks – 106 was...
Episode 31: First in Future: NC State University Professor and Economist Mike Walden
Summary: A couple of years ago, the Institute for Emerging Issues took on a challenging topic: what will all of us be doing for work...
Episode 30: First in Future: Jamie Kirk Hahn Foundation Board President and Co-Founder Nation Hahn
Summary: Today’s show starts in an unusual place. With a question: why do bad things happen to good people? The writers of the Bible were...
Episode 29: First in Future: Conetoe Chapel Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Rev. Richard Joyner
Summary: It is the middle of August, and ridiculously hot these days. It’s the time of year Reverend Richard Joyner hated, growing up in Pitt...
Episode 28: First in Future: North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson
Summary: Tomorrow, about 34,000 students, 2,300 faculty and 6,700 staff will run into each other at North Carolina State University, the start of another year...
Episode 27: First in Future: North Carolina Community Foundation President & CEO Jennifer Tolle Whiteside
Summary: Why is it that anybody gives something to someone else? Today’s guest, Jennifer Tolle Whiteside, has asked herself that question more than maybe anyone...
Episode 26: First in Future: Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina Chair Frank Emory
Summary: Three years ago, the state of North Carolina launched a new approach to economic development. Essentially, we bet that we would have a better...
Episode 25: First in Future: North Carolina Community College System President James “Jimmie” Williamson
Summary: Across the state, North Carolina’s community colleges pop up like beautifully spaced dots on a map, and if you put all 58 of them—plus...
Episode 24: First in Future: William C. Friday Fellowship for Human Relations CEO Abdul Rasheed
Summary: Why is it that some communities take off, and others, even if they appear to have the same kinds of assets, don’t. Today’s guest...
Episode 23: First in Future: NCSU Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Co-Director for Coastal Dynamics Design Lab Andrew Fox
Summary: This week, our guest isn’t just a community builder, he’s also a community listener. We talk with Andy Fox, a landscape architect from NC...
Episode 22: First in Future: Immigrant. Entrepreneur. Citizen. Redress Raleigh Co-founder Mor Aframian
Summary: For most of us listening, becoming a citizen was an involuntary act—we were born here, so we were citizens. But, for about 750,000 people...
Episode 21: First in Future: James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal President Jenna Robinson
Summary: If you had to pick out the most outspoken critic of higher education in North Carolina, it wouldn’t take you long to find the...
Episode 20: First in Future: Read Charlotte Executive Director Munro Richardson
Summary: A few years ago, some people in Charlotte got ticked off by a number – 39. Just 39 percent of third graders in Charlotte...
Episode 19: First in Future: City of Wilson Chief Planning and Development Officer Rodger Lentz, with IEI Policy Manager Sarah Langer Hall
Summary: At the Emerging Issues Forum on Innovation a couple of years ago, one of the clear findings was that outside of the Triangle and...
Episode 18: First in Future: Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust President Dr. Laura Gerald
Summary: On the one hand, who could have predicted it? Laura Gerald grew up in Robeson County, went to Harvard and Johns Hopkins for her...