Name: Tricia Magee
Leadership Charlotte (LC) Class: Class 42
Title/Company: Career Law Clerk to Hon. Frank D. Whitney, United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina
Hometown: Charlotte
Education: Charlotte Christian School, UNC-Chapel Hill, and Campbell Law School
Current personal or leadership goals: In addition to wanting to be the best wife, lawyer, and citizen I can be, I also want to succeed in my “leadership” role as “mom” to two girls. My goal is to “lead by example” so that my daughters will prioritize faith and family, value the responsibility of giving back to our community, and find ways to use their God-given talents to help others.
1. If you could describe your Leadership Charlotte experience in three words or phrases what would they be? Eye-opening, thought-provoking, and community-building
2. What advice that you would you give to current Leadership Charlotte participants? Year Two can be just as meaningful as Year One. Program Days during the first year of Leadership Charlotte provided incredible insight into a variety of issues in our city, and the experience as whole allowed me to connect with classmates in different ways. As I and my fellow Class 42 planning team members just wrapped up hosting Past, Present, and Future Day for Class 43, I realized that—for me—the first year is about listening, and the second year is about leading. I’m grateful the program includes this Year Two phase to use what I learned (about Charlotte and myself) to shape the session for the next class. The bonus part of Year Two was working with the best planning team ever. My advice for Class 43 is to listen this year and be eager to lead next year!
3. What do you remember most vividly from your Leadership Charlotte experience and why? Opening weekend stands out as my favorite Leadership Charlotte memory. Adapting to COVID-19 protocols meant we were assigned “Neighborhoods,” which was our “small group” for meals and activities throughout the weekend. From the first exercise sharing a personal connection to a random item in a paper bag to the frames of reference discussions disclosing our unique backgrounds, “Neighborhood Group 4” quickly transitioned from strangers to friends. During opening weekend, we had candid conversations addressing tough topics, and we found ourselves reconnecting after program days throughout the year to support each other and continue hard conversations. Since opening weekend, our group has celebrated births and new jobs, and we’ve also mourned the loss of life together. Opening weekend will always stand out to me as the catalyst for creating this special community within Class 42.
4. Favorite way to spend a weekend in Charlotte: Anything with my husband and two daughters, especially if the day starts with tennis and ends on a patio with a good cocktail.
5. Favorite nonprofit or community organization in Charlotte and why: Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. – This nonprofit has been making a difference in Charlotte for more than 95 years by providing training and hands-on opportunities to empower women to lead and serve in their community. As you survey the nonprofit landscape in Charlotte, women have leveraged their JLC membership experience to create or lead many of the nonprofits responsible for positive change in our community. On a personal level, the Junior League of Charlotte has provided me with transformational leadership opportunities outside of my profession, a diverse group of dear friends whom I might not otherwise have met, and the ability to volunteer my time to impact the lives of some of the most vulnerable citizens in the city we call home.
6. What are you doing in the community these days? In addition to staying engaged with the Junior League of Charlotte and my girls’ school (where I also attended), I just wrapped up a term on the Board of Directors for the Mecklenburg County Bar, and I’m in the midst of a term on the Board of Directors for Charlotte Family Housing, which is doing remarkable work to empower working families experiencing homelessness to achieve life-long self-sufficiency (under the leadership of Executive Director Pedro Perez – LC Class 40!).