Events

April Chapter Lunch Program with Leading on Opportunity


When: 4/4/2023 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Where: 
UNC Charlotte Dubois Center
320 E 9th St, Charlotte, NC 28202
  • Who Is Leading On Opportunity?
  • How is Leading on Opportunity going about measuring upward mobility with the use of an innovative new tool - The Opportunity Compass?
  • How does the Opportunity Compass inform investment decision making?
Sherri Chisholm
Executive Director of Leading on Opportunity
Sherri Chisholm joined Leading on Opportunity as its new director in September 2020, bringing nearly a decade of experience as an educational and nonprofit strategist to the role. She has worked in senior leadership at national nonprofits and major school districts across the country, where she drove transformation through strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, and leadership development. Prior to joining Leading on Opportunity, Sherri served as the founding Executive Director of Urban Alliance Detroit, a national youth workforce development nonprofit that aims to expand access to economic opportunity for youth from under-resourced neighborhoods through paid internships, job skills training, and mentoring. She is also the founder and CEO of FreeSpace Consulting Group where she has worked to guide and support districts and nonprofit organizations across the country seeking to effect positive change in public education.
Sherri holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Organizational Studies and Spanish from the University of Michigan; a Master of Arts degree in Education from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education; and a Master of Arts degree in Education Leadership from the Los Angeles-based Broad Center for the Management of School Systems.

AJ Calhoun
AJ Calhoun blends expertise in economics, design, and theology to address complex community challenges. He is the Director, Research and Impact at Leading on Opportunity (LOO), an initiative of Foundation For The Carolinas (FFTC). Prior to joining LOO, AJ led a collaboration between United Way, Knight Foundation, FFTC and Bank of America to develop a strategic plan for disrupting displacement across Mecklenburg County. He currently sits on the board of directors for DreamKey Partners, chairs the North Star Data Committee within Charlotte Executive Leadership Council's Healthy Communities Working Team, and serves on Novant Health's Community Engagement Advisory Council. AJ is also an Associate Fellow of the Kirby Liang Centre for Public Theology in Cambridge where he is a member of the Economics Research Hub. He holds a master's in public policy from the University of Chicago, Bachelors' in urban studies and political science from Furman University, and spent two years in Malaysia as a Fulbright scholar. He's currently completing a master's in theology. AJ is a Charlotte native whose passion for community development was sparked growing up in the local YMCA.