Name: Justin Jones-Fosu
Leadership Charlotte (LC) Class: Class 40
Title/Company: Founder & CEO of Work. Meaningful
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan (Akyremade, Ghana)
Education: BS in Marketing, MBA in Leadership and Organizational Change, Master of Arts in Theology
Current personal or leadership goals: Personal – Hike on all 7 continents. Leadership – Give and raise over 1 million a year toward educational initiatives on the continent of Africa and the country of the United States through our separate Foundation.
What advice would you give to current Leadership Charlotte participants? You don’t need to prove your worth, simply be your worth. It was through my LC40 Cohort that I decided to make one of the biggest decisions of my life and it was only through being open and vulnerable.
What’s a lesson that you learned through LC that has stuck with you and why? It is less about what people do, and more about who they are that matters the most. These meaningful relationships matter as I have developed some lifelong friendships through LC.
What would you like to see Leadership Charlotte alumni get involved in and why? Helping to provide unique exposure and experiences to underserved youth. This is an underutilized form of education that can positively remove some of the limits of that many youth have.
Favorite way to spend a weekend in Charlotte: I am either adventuring at the Whitewater Center or exploring Uptown and beyond for unique social experiences.
Favorite nonprofit or community organization in Charlotte and why: Charlotte Sister Cities – It is a way to connect Charlotte with the world. Through the Charlotte Sister Cities (and their leadership) I have been connected with people and organizations (i.e., Springclean, Eh’Vivi, and the Asanteman Association) who are globally minded and have become partners in the non-profit educational work we do in Ghana and the direct impact we make in Charlotte.
You are invited to join Leadership Charlotte on Tuesday, October 8th for Bridging Divides: An Exclusive Night with Justin Jones-Fosu (givebutter.com), where Justin will share effective tools to engage in respectful and productive conversations, even when opinions diverge sharply. Click on the event link to learn more and purchase your tickets. Hope to see you there!