Emery and AJ Calhoun

AJ and Emery met in a small town outside London and now call Charlotte home. AJ, a native Charlottean, focuses on strategy and evaluation at The Duke Endowment. He previously served as Managing Director of Leading on Opportunity, FFTC’s initiative on economic mobility. He’s been a coach with SEED20 since 2018 and serves on the board of Charlotte’s affordable housing developer DreamKey Partners.

Originally from Midland, Texas, Emery moved to Charlotte after teaching English at Bryan High, a Title I school near her alma mater, Texas A&M. She is now an Academic Learning Specialist at Charlotte Christian, where she supports struggling learners. Outside of work, she’s a certified TESOL instructor who volunteers with the ESL program at the Harris Y and serves as a mentor through Learning Help Centers of Charlotte.

Together, they enjoy cooking for friends, debating literature, and racing each other in the daily NYT games.