The third annual Harnett County Community Leader Summit — held on Nov. 6 in the Keith Family Ballroom of the Oscar N. Harris Student Union — brought together leaders from across Harnett County in business, education, nonprofit organizations, social services, ministry and local government. This year’s theme, “Harnett’s Path Forward: Collaborative Leadership in Action,” centered on the power of partnership in shaping the county’s future amid ongoing growth and a strain on local resources.
The Summit was organized and facilitated by students in Dr. Justin Nelson’s sociology course on community engagement. Undergraduate student leaders that planned and convened the Summit were Emma Lapan, Sa’Tori Lorenzo, Kaitlyn Newell, Caleb Perry, and Dallas Walker. The students designed and led an interactive design sprint workshop to address the problem, while graduate students in public health, led by Dr. David Tillman, framed the problem by sharing preliminary findings from their work on the Harnett County Community Health Needs Assessment.
Participants worked in small groups to explore innovative, community-based solutions to challenges created by Harnett County’s rapid growth. Through structured collaboration, attendees shared perspectives, identified local needs, and co-developed actionable strategies to strengthen the county’s future. The workshop helped to illuminate both the challenges and opportunities within Harnett County, inspiring concrete steps toward sustainable growth and community well-being.
This initiative is the continuation of a long-term asset mapping project in partnership with the nonprofit organization Sympara, guided by CEO Mr. Daniel Pryfogle. The goal of this project has been to identify resources and stakeholders in Harnett County and seek collaborative solutions to local issues by leveraging what is already present in the community. This work also reflects a growing partnership between Campbell University’s School of Education & Human Sciences, the Office of Community Engagement, led by Rev. Morgan Pajak, and the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.