Name: Dr. Maggie Commins
Leadership Charlotte (LC) Class: 43
Title/Company: Shelton Professor of Political Science, Queens University of Charlotte
Hometown: Bethesda, MD
Education: BA, Gettysburg College (history/political science); MA, UNC-Chapel Hill (Latin American Studies); PhD, UNC-Chapel Hill (political science)
Current personal or leadership goals: My primary personal goal is to find ways to give back to the Charlotte community. I have lived here for 26 years, raising a family and working in higher education. My children are grown, and I have more time to be involved in the community. I want to support those seeking to make Charlotte a more welcoming and inclusive place, particularly for immigrants. I am aware I need to model effective civic engagement for my students too. I hope that they will see my civic involvement and learn that civic engagement makes for better, more resilient communities. In terms of leadership, I continue to work on being a better leader in the civic space. Leadership is not something that university professors are trained to do, for the most part. I am focusing on being better at listening to (and really hearing) people in the community and fostering opportunities for inclusive civic action.
What advice would you give to current Leadership Charlotte participants? Use the skills and relationships you develop through Leadership Charlotte to contribute to making this city a better place. There are so many ways to get involved – city advisory boards, nonprofit organizations, public office. The work is rewarding and beneficial both personally and professionally.
What’s a lesson that you learned through LC that has stuck with you and why? I learned about my “strengths” and how to leverage them to be a more effective leader. It seems obvious, but when the assessment illuminates your core strengths it makes you more intentional about using them (and about developing new ones).
What would you like to see Leadership Charlotte alumni get involved in and why? I would like to see LC alumni get involved in city and county government, either through running for public office or through the many city and county citizen advisory boards. When leaders want to “help” we tend to focus on nonprofits and their work. But government is the foundation for a strong and vibrant city and county. Government officials cannot make good policy if they do not understand the community; and, they cannot understand the community unless we talk and work with them.
Favorite way to spend a weekend in Charlotte: Exploring the city on foot or bike.
Favorite nonprofit or community organization in Charlotte and why: I so admire the work of the Latin American Coalition. I serve on the board and am always humbled by the staff’ sincere desire to highlight, support, and empower the Latino community in Charlotte.