HISTORY

In the spring of 2014, the Charlotte Chamber took 140 business and government leaders on its annual Inter City Visit. That year’s trip was to Minneapolis, and the agenda included a keynote by then US Bank CEO Richard Davis. Davis spoke on Itasca, a CEO group that helped tackle some of the city’s biggest issues. Leaders including Lynn Good, CEO of Duke Energy; Michael Tarwater, then CEO of Atrium Health, and Tom Skains, then CEO of Piedmont Natural Gas were inspired.

With support by Foundation For The Carolinas CEO Michael Marsicano, the group launched a study of similar groups in 12 cities, conducted by the Lee Institute. The results informed the creation of the CELC in 2015. Designed to be as nimble as possible, the council was created as an organized group of C-Suite leaders with a relatively small budget that was held in a fund at Foundation For The Carolinas. Membership was limited to 31. Lynn Good agreed to serve as the council’s first chair the following year. Membership includes CEOs of some of Charlotte’s largest companies, along with presidents of universities and colleges, as well as respected leaders from smaller businesses to ensure diverse perspectives.

The council aligns its focus with the Leading on Opportunity report, which was developed as a response to the 2014 Chetty Study that ranked Charlotte 50th among the 50 largest U.S. cities for economic mobility. Focus areas were established: Workforce, Education, Healthy Communities (support services) and Community Engagement to align with key factors impacting opportunity. In addition to work in each focus area, the council provides a forum for local leaders to discuss key issues and opportunities, and – where possible – to take actions that influence Charlotte in a meaningful way, advocate for solutions that improve Charlotte’s economic vitality and quality of life for everyone, and actively work to build and maintain strong relationships with local and state government.

Under Lynn Good’s leadership, the CELC formed a strong foundation. Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America, took over in 2018 and built upon that foundation, establishing working teams around each focus area populated by high-level talent from CELC companies. In 2021, Mike Lamach, then CEO of Trane Technologies, accepted the chairmanship and tightened focus on the priorities established under Good’s and Moynihan’s leadership.