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2025 Community Meeting Featuring Dr. Raj Chetty
We hope you enjoyed our 2025 Community Meeting! It was an honor to gather with 1,000 community members to hear from Dr. Raj Chetty, whose keynote left many of us inspired to think differently about what's possible for Forsyth County.
We kicked off the event with an incredible reading by two of our Youth Grantmakers in Action, Morgan Davis and Emily Thomas. The poem written by Christian Paige grounded us in the fact that, "philanthropy is a verb, that community and foundation are synonymous."
Dr. Chetty shared powerful insights on what drives economic mobility and how communities like ours can help create better outcomes for children and families. His talk was followed by an engaging panel featuring Kellie Easton (Action4Equity), Tricia McManus (WS/FCS), and Mark Owens (Greater Winston-Salem Inc.), who added thoughtful local perspective to the conversation.
We’re grateful you were part of this moment, and we hope you left ready to keep the momentum going.
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LEARN MORE AND GET INVOLVED
Dr. Chetty’s research shows us what’s possible when we invest in families, neighborhoods, schools, and systems that have been under-resourced for decades. Interested in supporting this important work? Here are two ways to take action:
- Explore local data on economic mobility (including Dr. Chetty’s slides), read stories of impact, and connect with organizations driving change.
- Donate to the Foundation’s Economic Mobility Fund to support nonprofits working to build a more inclusive local economy.
data from dr. Chetty
Economic Mobility Webinar
In this important conversation, local leaders explore what economic mobility means and why it’s essential to building a thriving, equitable community. Panelists discuss the barriers that limit opportunity in Forsyth County and share real solutions for creating more pathways to success for all residents.
MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Raj Chetty is the William A. Ackman Professor of Economics at Harvard University and the Director of Opportunity Insights, which uses big data to study the science of economic opportunity: how we can give children from all backgrounds better chances of succeeding? Chetty’s work has been widely cited in academia, media outlets, and policy discussions in the United States and beyond.
Chetty received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2003 and is one of the youngest tenured professors in Harvard’s history. He has received numerous awards for his research, including a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, the John Bates Clark medal, given to the economist under 40 whose work is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the field, and Harvard’s George Ledlie prize, awarded for research that made the most valuable contribution to science, or in any way for the benefit of mankind.
Dr. Raj Chetty’s appearance arranged through Gotham Artists.
2025 Community Meeting Sponsors
The Winston-Salem Foundation thanks the following sponsors for their generous support of the 2025 Community Meeting.
PRESENTING SPONSORS
Goodwill Industries of Northwest NC
Reynolds American
COMMUNITY INVESTORS
Flow Automotive Companies
Novant Health
Wake Forest University
Wells Fargo
Winston-Salem Journal
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
COMMUNITY INVESTORS
The Chronicle