Blue Sky Committee Chair, Eric Gorman

The Blue Sky Committee has been exploring key players, big trends, and innovative initiatives in the Charlotte region through its Blue Sky Speaker Series, 2017. In August, Josh Jacobson of Next Stage spoke to us about his firm’s new capacity building initiative called “Cultivate”, which will kickoff at the beginning of 2018. Led by Josh and his colleague Caylin Viales, also from Next Stage, the initiative will include a 12-month curriculum geared at addressing common nonprofit challenges, including business planning, media, and online communications, among other monthly topics.

In September, SVP Partners Mark and Patti Weber hosted the second talk at their Uptown office, which included a highly engaging session with Ann Caulkins, president and publisher at The Charlotte Observer, about the organization’s adaptation to the digital era. Ms. Caulkins grabbed our attention with a quiz about current events, drew us in with personal accounts of her storied career, and impressed us with hard numbers, current trends, and a glimpse into the art and craft of this digital company.

Last month, our series continued with a talk from Torie Leslie, Chief Academic Officer at Digi-Bridge, a current SVP investee. Torie delved into the future and next steps of Digi-Bridge, including its new three-year campaign to raise awareness of the digital divide–a challenge that is rooted in our region’s economic mobility challenges.

Thanks to all who have participated in our series so far, and we look forward to seeing you at our next talk!