Adrienne Cole, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, will be the inaugural guest of the new Campbell Talks! lecture series, and campus-wide event sponsored by the Economic and Community Development Strategic Planning Committee.
Cole’s lecture, titled “Economic Development — Positioning Our Region for Success,” will take place at 6 p.m. on Nov. 1. in the Harris Teeter Lecture Hall in Maddox Hall.
“The goal of the Campbell Talks! series is to bring experts in economic and community development to campus to increase our awareness of the challenges, issues and opportunities in our region,” said School of Engineering Dean Jenna Carpenter, “and to provide thoughtful input that informs the activities and initiatives in these areas that we, as a campus, elect to engage and support.”
As head of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, Cole heads the Triangle’s largest non-profit business membership organization, representing two-thirds of the private sector employment in Wake County. Previously, she served as the Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development and executive director of Wake County Economic Development, where she led her team to recruit new businesses, support existing industries, market Wake County and the Triangle region and help companies attract and retain the talent needed to grow and thrive.
In her current role, Cole and the Raleigh Chamber work to create a thriving economy, support business friendly public policy, encourage investments in transportation and education infrastructure, foster entrepreneurship and grow Wake County’s future leaders.
She is a graduate of Meredith College and received a master’s degree in public administration from Appalachian State University. Cole and her husband Walt, live in Raleigh and have three children.