2022 - ‘First in Talent’ Summit

JOIN US for a conversation about the single most important issue facing business leaders today: Our people.
 
During our event, North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders will be presenting an update on North Carolina's First in Talent: Strategic Economic Development Plan, which was released in July 2021.
 
This strategic economic development plan places a renewed emphasis on preparing our state's workforce for jobs today, the jobs of tomorrow, and aligning workforce development with business recruitment and economic development efforts.
 
Last year, North Carolina broke records by announcing 174 new economic development projects, 24,000 new jobs, and $10 billion in investment promised to the state. Our pro-business climate, diversity of workforce and education programs, and quality of life are key drivers to this success. The future is bright in North Carolina, but challenges remain.
 
Join us to learn more and spend time with your fellow chamber members.
 
AGENDA
 
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
Check-in and Networking
 
12:00 - 12:15 pm
Lunch is served
 
12:15 - 1:00 pm
Program begins; Keynote remarks from NC Commerce Secretary, Machelle Baker Sanders

Please arrive early and come prepared. Allow ample time for travel, parking, check-in and seating. If you're not feeling well, please stay home.


LOCATION
 
Hotel Ballast, 301 North Water Street, Wilmington,  NC 28401
Grand Ballroom
 
 
PARKING
 
Complimentary parking is available in the River Place Deck located at 14 Grace Street (corner of Grace St. & Water St.). Vouchers will be provided at registration. Street parking is also available around Hotel Ballast but is not complimentary. 
 
 
ARRIVAL
 
After parking, find your way to the lower lobby for check-in. Registered attendees will receive a name tag that will serve as your ticket before being directed to the grand ballroom. A coat check will be available near registration.
 
 
MACHELLE BAKER SANDERS BIO
 
In February 2021, Governor Cooper appointed Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders to lead the North Carolina Department of Commerce, enlisting her experience as former Administration Secretary, strong background as a business leader and her extensive knowledge of what it takes to build a globally competitive workforce. Secretary Sanders? vision for North Carolina's post-pandemic economic restoration is to work with partners to attract better paying jobs, support small businesses, and stimulate our state's innovation and entrepreneurial economy. Her bold and purposeful leadership aims to ensure North Carolina's diverse state is an inclusive one that works for all people.
 
Sanders brings 30 years of strong management and leadership experience to Commerce as a seasoned pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive, previously serving as vice president of manufacturing and general manager of Biogen's largest manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park. She's also held leadership positions overseeing manufacturing, global quality assurance and quality control functions at Biogen, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, and Diosynth-Akzo Nobel. 
 
A graduate of North Carolina State University, Sanders holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Master of Health Administration from Pfeiffer University. As a native North Carolinian and mother of twin daughters, she is passionate about improving the status of women in our state. Some of her work includes creating a Women's Innovation Network at Biogen and the Lady Cardinals STEM Program for High School students while at North Carolina Department of Administration. After all, as Sanders puts it, "Improving the status of women in North Carolina is not just a woman's issue - it is a family, poverty, and economic issue."
 
Sanders is also a strong supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion, believing that "you can't be what you can't see." She previously served as the Chair of the North Carolina Commission on Inclusion, North Carolina Complete Count Commission, and the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force. Additionally, she serves on the Interagency Council for Coordinating Homeless Programs (ICCHP), Commission of Indian Affairs, and the North Carolina State University Board of Visitors.
 
As North Carolina's Commerce Secretary, Sanders serves on many boards and commissions, including the Rural Infrastructure Authority, the board of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the NCWorks Commission, the state's Travel & Tourism Board, and the Carolinas Pandemic Preparedness Task Force.
 
Sanders also serves on the boards of two public life science companies. At Radius Health based in Cambridge, Massachuttes, she sits on the Board of Directors and is a member of the Nominating Committee. At Novan, Inc., based in Research Triangle Park, she is a member of the Compensation Committee.
 
Secretary Sanders? experience and passion to improve the lives of North Carolinians uniquely positions her to lead North Carolina's portfolio of work in economic, community, and workforce development.