Terry Shook, FAIA, along with Hugh McColl (retired CEO of Bank of America), Dionne Nelson (President and CEO of Laurel Street Residential), Dr. Robert C. Scott (Senior Pastor at St. Paul Baptist Church) and Pamela Wideman (Deputy Director Neighborhood & Business Services with The City of Charlotte) shared their own commitments to and models for investing in affordable housing as an avenue for addressing racial inequality and economic opportunity on February 1.

This was the fourth of five collaborative community dialogue series sessions (held January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8), co-sponsored by Covenant Presbyterian Church, CN Jenkins Presbyterian Church and the Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange, features multiple participants involved in cross-cultural discussions, with exploration of implicit biases and systemic racism and insights into avenues for creating economic opportunity in Charlotte.

For more information, please visit The Women's Inter-Cultural Exchange website.

Since 1927, the Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA) has supported the independent operation of college stores. ICBA programs and services are designed to help stores remain independent and be financially and operationally successful.

This year marks the 100th annual ICBA conference. Join Kevin Kelley (Wednesday, February 4 at 1:20PM) as he shares his proven playbook for winning on meaning rather than margins, and on convening rather commoditizing. Attendees will learn how to design sensory-rich, emotionally engaging, community-building retail experiences that elevate relevance, loyalty, and long-term value.

Learn more and join here!

Retail success stories are written by companies that are simultaneously crushing it in the now and primed for what's next. NRF 2026 calls it The Next Now.

Join Kevin Kelley and Shannon DeVito, senior director of book strategy and customer experience with Barnes & Noble, for a fireside chat exploring the impact of retail on community and creating store environments that tap into discover, delight, escape, and social bliss.

Learn more and join us here!