We are a community that cares about all our children – regardless of their income, background, race or zip code – and where all of our children feel they belong, have big dreams and have the opportunities to achieve their dreams.

Leading on Opportunity was created in March 2017. Our Leading on Opportunity Council is led by James E. Ford and Andrea B. Smith. The Council was formed in September 2017 to implement the recommendations of Leading on Opportunity’s Charlotte-Mecklenburg Opportunity Task Force Report, led by Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown and Dee O’Dell, who convened in 2015 to study economic mobility challenges in our region.

As charged in the Leading on Opportunity Report, we take a systemic approach to addressing the key determinants of early care and education, college and career readiness, and child and family stability, while simultaneously focusing on the cross-cutting factors of segregation and social capital.