Liz Kline

I was raised by a single mom, and growing up, I saw firsthand what people mean when they say it takes a village. My mom worked very hard, but there were also teachers and church members and neighbors and community members who poured into me and really helped shape who I am today. That experience stayed with me and showed me how powerful communities can be. When I graduated from East Carolina University, I started my career in marketing as an account executive at Fox 50TV. If I'm being honest, the only thing on my mind when I got that job was I wanted to work hard and make a lot of money. I did a lot of grinding in those early years, and when I first started, I didn't even know what a rating point was. I was handed a phone book and didn't come with a list or any prior knowledge. I really worked from the ground up to build my career into what it is today. A few years into my job at Fox 50, I went through what I jokingly call my quarter-life crisis, that period between 25 and 30 where you're going, is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? Around that same time, I went through Leadership Triangle, which really opened my eyes to the bigger role business and media can play in our communities. I was surrounded by incredible leaders and mentors who were using their places in the world to really make a difference. That experience changed my perspective, and I realized that I didn't have to choose between building a successful career and making money, and doing meaningful work. You really can do both, and in order to do your best work, you have to find meaning in what you do. Since then, I have really focused my career on working on campaigns that affect public health, educate the general public, and connect people to resources. I've worked on campaigns that connect domestic violence victims to resources, educate people on what human trafficking is, and encourage people to report child abuse. I've worked on a campaign to reduce the stigma around substance use disorders, all super meaningful work, but I've found a way to build coalitions around these projects and find money to support them. At the same time, I help build campaigns that support economic development and tourism across North Carolina. When I look at it now, I realize that all of my work has come full circle. I saw growing up how important healthy communities are, and today, I get to help tell the stories and build the campaigns that help those communities thrive.