The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro celebrated 2025 successes, announced its 2026 goals, and honored three exceptional leaders at the 83rd Annual Meeting

Chapel Hill, NC – On Thursday, February 26, The Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro hosted its 83rd Annual Meeting: Meeting the Moment, presented by Piedmont Health. More than 250 business and community leaders convened at the Maynard Forum in Bell Hall at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School to celebrate 2025 accomplishments, announce 2026 priorities, and honor three outstanding community leaders.

The evening marked a leadership transition as 2025 Board Chair Betsy Harris concluded her term and passed the gavel to 2026 Chair Elie Abou-Rjeileh, co-owner of Olmaz Jewelers.

The Campaign for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro: Year Two Progress 

Chamber President and CEO Aaron Nelson provided an update on The Campaign for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, now complete with its second full year of implementation. Launched in 2023 after interviews with 70 major employers and community leaders, the Campaign focuses on three core priorities:

1) Workforce Development: In 2025, The Chamber convened Orange County’s first employer-led Workforce Council, identifying four focus sectors: healthcare, skilled trades and construction, hospitality and culinary, and technology. The Council is launching a multi-channel engagement effort, including a centralized digital hub at chapelhillcareers.com.

2) Small Business Growth & Startup Support: In year one, The Chamber hired a Business Success Navigator, completed 125 formal business navigations, strengthened the Black Business Alliance with new branding and leadership, and mapped the regional entrepreneurial support ecosystem.

3) Housing Supply & Affordability: In 2025, The Chamber led a successful coalition effort to extend the water and sewer boundary to the Chatham County line, unlocking significant new land for development and future housing opportunities. The Chamber also advocated for and secured unanimous adoption of key Land Use Management Ordinance modifications designed to streamline permitting and make it easier to build both housing and commercial space. On the funding side, voters approved a $15 million Chapel Hill affordable housing bond, and the local Housing Trust and Revolving Loan Fund grew to $20 million, creating stronger financial tools to support permanently affordable housing development.


Honoring Black History & Community Legacy

In recognition of Black History Month, Business Success Navigator Taylor Gay reflected on the legacy of Black entrepreneurship and community-building in Chapel Hill and Carrboro. She emphasized that Black history is not confined to textbooks, but lives in the salons, restaurants, storefronts, and gathering spaces.

Gay highlighted The Chamber’s work to ensure that today’s entrepreneurs — particularly Black and Brown business owners — do not have to build alone. Through one-on-one business navigation, intentional community programming, ecosystem mapping, and partnerships across local governments and the private sector, the Chamber is working to create clear pathways to funding, mentorship, visibility, and long-term sustainability.

“Tomorrow’s history is being created today,” Gay said, urging attendees to take an active role in shaping that future. She called on community members to show up intentionally, spend locally, connect entrepreneurs to resources, support Chamber initiatives, and center community in their business decisions. “Legacy is not only something we inherit,” she said, “but something we actively build.”

2025 Year in Review

Outgoing Board Chair Betsy Harris highlighted a year focused on member engagement, policy advocacy, and helping businesses navigate a rapidly shifting economic and political environment.

Among the accomplishments:

• Expansion of workforce partnerships
• Strengthened small business navigation services
• Policy wins tied to housing and development reform
• Continued growth in membership and program engagement

Harris reflected on The Chamber’s culture of personal support and resilience, noting that the organization “punches above its weight” and serves as both an economic catalyst and a community connector.

Awards

Three community leaders were recognized for their service and impact:

• 2025 Chair’s Award for Service to The Chamber: Dan Lehman of UNC Health, for more than a decade of leadership, including serving as Board Chair, mentoring emerging leaders, recruiting new members, and continuing service through leadership of the Chamber’s 501(c)(3) Partnership.
• 2025 Chair’s Award for Public Private Partnership: Celisa Lehew, Chapel Hill Police Department chief, for strengthening collaboration between the business community and public safety, expanding CARE teams, increasing downtown foot patrols, opening the new police headquarters, and deepening engagement with local businesses during times of crisis, including severe flooding and major emergencies.
• Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award: Mae McLendon, for her decades of community leadership, volunteerism, advocacy for affordable housing, mentorship, and civic engagement. A double Tar Heel and former social worker, she has served organizations including the Inter-Faith Council, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and numerous local boards and nonprofits.

(See full award citations below)

2026 Vision: Meeting the Moment

Incoming Board Chair Elie Abou-Rjeileh of Olmaz Jewelers outlined five priorities for 2026:

1. Grow Chamber membership and strengthen the referral network
2. Advance Campaign priorities with urgency
3. Deepen The Chamber's role as a trusted community convener
4. Create intentional, relationship-driven networking opportunities
5. Lean into innovation and digital transformation

Drawing from his own experience rebuilding his business after severe flooding at Eastgate Crossing, Abou-Rjeileh emphasized The Chamber’s role in standing alongside businesses during both crisis and growth.

“Whether navigating economic headwinds, development decisions, or unexpected emergencies, your Chamber is here," he said. "That’s how we will meet this moment — together.”

About the Annual Meeting 
The 2026 Annual Meeting was held at Maynard Forum in Bell Hall at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in Chapel Hill from 4:30-7:00 p.m. The 2026 Annual Meeting was presented by Piedmont Health. Program Sponsors included Adkin CPA PLLC, Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, Durham Tech, and BOLD Companies. Contributing and award sponsors included Brooks Pierce Law Firm, Duke Energy, Edward Jones - Jessica L Villagrana, Enbridge Gas NC, Erickson Advisors, Joel I. Levy, CPA PLLC, Merritt Properties, and Zoë Dehmer. The reception was sponsored by The Partnership for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, with catering by 39 West, desserts sponsored by Nothing Bundt Cakes - Durham-Chapel Hill, and beer sponsored by Carolina Brewery.

About The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro
The Chamber is a membership organization that serves and advances the business interests of Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, including the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro as well as southern Orange, northern Chatham, and southwest Durham counties. The Chamber's network includes more than 600-member enterprises that employ 95,000 workers throughout the region. Together with its network, The Chamber is committed to building a sustainable community where business thrives.

Award Citations

Dan Lehman, Recipient of the 2025 Chair’s Award for Service to the Chamber

*Remarks presented by Betsy Harris, 2025 Board Chair

"This award is presented annually to an individual in recognition of their exceptional service to the Chamber, its mission, and its members.  

This year's winner doesn't just show up — he gets involved. He recruits. He mentors. He builds. And he leads by example in every sense of the phrase. 

Now in his eleventh year on our Board of Directors, this leader has served as Chair of the Board Development Committee, Vice Chair of the Board, and Chair of the Board of Directors. He is currently in his fourth year on the Partnership Board as well. 

In 2025, he set the record for most new members recruited by a board member. He has swung a hammer with us on a Habitat for Humanity house, and he has been a steady mentor to Chamber leadership, offering tremendous support to me throughout my year as Chair of the Board. 

When his leadership role at the Chamber was coming to a close, rather than rotate off, he volunteered to take on a new role as Chair of the Chamber’s 501c3 Partnership and continue his service advancing our shared goals. 

By day he is a dedicated and well-respected healthcare executive, currently serving as UNC Hospitals’ Vice President for Operations, Support and Professional Services, where he has worked for 31 years. By weekend, he is an Ironman triathlete — and when he's not logging miles, you'll find him at home building models and tinkering with cars. 

For his extraordinary service to our Chamber, his commitment to advancing our mission, and his dedication to making our community thrive — please join me in recognizing the Chair's Award for Service to the Chamber — Dan Lehman."

Celisa Lehew, Recipient of the 2025 Chair’s Award for Public Private Partnership

*Remarks presented by Betsy Harris, 2025 Board Chair

"This award is presented annually to an individual whose work and service helps connect the public and private sectors to the benefit of the entire community.   

This year’s award recipient grew up in Northern Ontario and after completing a degree in criminal justice and corrections, picked eight cities and applied to join their police department. We are pleased she chose the city that called her back first: Chapel Hill!  

Our award winner says that today she loves her job as much as she did the first day she walked through the door and confesses she would enjoy doing it 24/7 if she didn’t need a little balance in her life.  

This year’s Chair’s Award for Public Private Partnership is presented to Chapel Hill Police Chief Celisa Lehew. 

Chief Lehew has served Chapel Hill for 23 years as an officer, Lieutenant of Investigations and Special Operations, Assistant Chief, and was appointed Chapel Hill’s 9th Chief of Police in 2023.  

Under Chief Lehew’s leadership, Chapel Hill Police Department has implemented progressive, forward-thinking policies and new community engagement and partnership strategies.   

This past year, the Chief expanded the Department’s CARE Teams, increased downtown foot patrols, relocated and expanded the downtown substation, and doubled down on the Department’s commitment to increasing the number of women on the force, reaching out to girls aged 14 to 19 with the GEMS program.  

And congratulations to Chief Lehew on the 2025 opening of the new Chapel Hill Police Headquarters and thank you for hosting Chamber members for a Business After Hours at your beautiful facility on April 7th. 

Among the Chief’s many successful engagements with local businesses in 2025, we especially want to recognize her support following the Siena Hotel fire, the response to the flooding from Tropical Storm Chantal, and her meaningful partnership and collaboration with downtown businesses. 

Chief Celisa Lehew, for your dedication to the residents and businesses of Chapel Hill; commitment to community safety, officer wellbeing, and forward-thinking leadership; and for your public-private partnership; your personal availability; and for creating durable connections and bridges between the public sector and the private sector, it is our honor to recognize you today.

On behalf of the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill, our Board of Directors and members, it is my honor to present you with the Chair’s Award for Public Private Partnership."

Mae McLendon, Recipient of the 2026 Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award

*Remarks delivered by Sara Stephens (Duke Energy)

"The Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award is a tribute to those individuals who use their time, talent, and compassion to make a positive difference in the community. 

This year’s winner moved to Chapel Hill in 1964 where she played basketball at Chapel Hill High School — which was on Franklin Street — though her team had to play under "girls' rules," much to her chagrin. 

A double Tar Heel with a degree in sociology and a Master's in Social Work, our winner worked at the NC Department of Corrections for 25 years and locally has worked for the Inter-Faith Council for Social Services, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, NC Cooperative Extension, and the Marion Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History. 

A prolific volunteer, this year's winner has given her time to local parks and recreation, mentored in local prisons, led local CROP Hunger Walks, and volunteered at the IFC, the Lions Club, the Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board, the Chapel Hill Planning Board, and her St. Paul AME Church. 

She has been honored with the Pauli Murray Award, featured in Durham Magazine's Women of Achievement, and recognized twice locally with lifetime achievement awards.  

In 2021, she was one of three women featured in an outdoor art installation on UNC's campus, her portrait projected onto the canopy of a tree for hours after sundown, paying homage to her work on women's suffrage. 

The 2026 Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award goes to Mae McLendon. 

Mae McLendon, your dedication and commitment to public service have made a lasting impact on Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and your business community, your university, and this Chamber are all grateful. 

On behalf of the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, it is my privilege to present Mae McLendon with the 2026 Duke Energy Citizenship and Service Award."

Contact: Aury St. Germain, Vice President for Member Success and Engagement, The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro, astgermain@carolinachamber.org, 828-674-8982 (direct)