Name: Michael Lizotte
Leadership Charlotte (LC) Class: 37
Title/Company: Special Assistant to the AVC/UNC Charlotte
Hometown: North Attleboro, MA
Education: UMass Amherst BS Environmental Science 1982; Virginia Tech MS Botany 1984; University of Southern California PhD Marine Biology 1989
Current personal or leadership goals:
My last months at UNC Charlotte provided a chance to lead a smooth transition for my staff and many campus partners for the Office of Sustainability. I feel good about leaving because I’ve had the time to build up my staff’s confidence, prepare them to help their new leader, and to help that new leader play to their strengths. I was the first Sustainability Officer for UNC Charlotte, and my final change management assignment turned out to be the change from me to another.
What’s your best advice for current Leadership Charlotte participants about making the most of the experience?
As a recovering professor, I have to push attendance. Clear your calendar and take every experience the program offers. Go with a clear mind and be present through the whole, complete experience. Like any life-changing course, you won’t know the full effects on you until it’s over (which can be years from now).
What’s one lesson or moment from your Leadership Charlotte experience that sticks with you today, and why?
Our project assignment was amazing: to support a street soccer tournament for unhoused people. At first, my classmates and I stayed in our comfort zone of applying our professional skills to the client’s needs. But we were all rattled by the event’s premise and promise – the opportunity to bring joy, respect, accomplishment, teamwork, sunlight, and cheers to people whose lives we struggled to even imagine. Our professional boundaries melted away, we all stretched, and tournament day in Romare Bearden Park was one of the most memorable and rewarding days of my life.
In what ways do you stay engaged in the Charlotte community, and how could fellow alumni join you?
Part of my job at UNC Charlotte has been student and staff engagement for a community of 35,000 plus, and I’ve benefited for the strong cadre of LC alums on campus. It would be great to hear from double alums (LC and UNC Charlotte).
What’s your favorite way to recharge or connect with Charlotte on the weekend?
I like to connect with Charlotte’s natural side by hiking in Reedy Creek Nature Preserve or my local greenways.
Shout out a local nonprofit or initiative making a difference — what do they do, and why does their mission speak to you?
I have a hard time deciding between two non-profits. Sustain Charlotte does environmental advocacy work, especially around transportation, that is improving my life as a pedestrian and transit user. But TreesCharlotte is closer to my heart because they’ve made it possible for me to plant trees in my neighborhood every year. They educate people on tree care, give away free trees, and work with neighborhoods and schools on larger tree planting plans. I will be an avid tree planter and caretaker for the rest of my life.
I support Leadership Charlotte because…
they open hearts, change minds, and create understanding.
What’s next for you as your move into retirement, and what are you most excited to explore or invest more time in during this next chapter?
I’m curious about communities, plural. I’m sure I’ll stay active in my neighborhood. But I have many choices beyond home. For I while I hope to stay active in my professional communities of sustainability management. I’m looking at joining new communities to feed my curiosity and hobbies of gardening and ukulele (my COVID-induced hobby). I am even rejoining the science community to work through some unfinished ideas.