Golden LEAF Scholar alumnus Chandler Bumgarner grew up in Taylorsville, N.C., in rural Alexander County, holding a sense of community close to his heart.
This sense of community was significant as he began his college career at Western Carolina University. Chandler Bumgarner’s closest friends from back home attended his college with him, signifying what it meant to him to have a community and family of friends to lean on.
As commencement ceremonies unfold across North Carolina, a unique group of graduates carries with them not only their diplomas but also a commitment to the very communities that shaped them.
Recently, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton sat down with the Founder and Director of ncIMPACT Anita Brown-Graham via Zoom and filmed an episode of Critical Conversations. In this series, Scott talks with professionals about economic development issues affecting the state.
North Carolina’s number one industry is agriculture and agribusiness. Golden LEAF focuses on agriculture as an economic development engine. One of the outcomes Golden LEAF measures in its agriculture priority is value-added agricultural enterprises.
Davidson County has three new employers that will create a total of more than 650 jobs at Lexington Industrial Park, thanks in part to infrastructure funding from Golden LEAF.
In April 2017, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded $1 million in Community-Based Grants Initiative funding to Davidson County for the development of a new county-owned industrial park near Interstate 85. Golden LEAF funds were used for public wastewater infrastructure costs for the Lexington Industrial Park.
At the April meeting, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded a total of $4.5 million in funding to support job creation and economic investment projects, workforce preparedness projects, and scholarships. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1.5 million to support three projects through the Open Grants Program and $113,250 to support one SITE Program project. The Golden LEAF Board also approved $3 million in funding to the North Carolina Community College System for the Golden LEAF Community Colleges Scholarship.
Recently, Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton sat down with the North Carolina Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley via Zoom and filmed an episode of Critical Conversations. In this series, Scott talks with professionals about economic development issues affecting the state.
Golden LEAF President, Chief Executive Officer Scott T. Hamilton has made it a priority to meet with Golden LEAF Scholars at their college or university to help connect them with the mission of and opportunities provided by Golden LEAF, the leadership of the institution they are attending, alumni, and their fellow scholars.
Golden LEAF Interns Jala Hill of Williamston and Emma Godwin of Wilson will graduate from East Carolina University in May 2025.
Hill served as an intern for the Scholarship Program for the Spring 2024, Fall 2024, and Spring 2025 semesters. She is majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Management.
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C., (April 3, 2025) – Today, the Golden LEAF Board of Directors awarded a total of $4.5 million in funding to support job creation and economic investment projects, workforce preparedness projects, and scholarships. The Golden LEAF Board awarded $1.5 million to support three projects through the Open Grants Program and $113,250 to support one SITE Program project. The Golden LEAF Board also approved $3,000,000 in funding to the North Carolina Community College System for the Golden LEAF Community Colleges Scholarship.
