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.
Secretary Lilley has experience in legislative affairs and economic development, including as former Director of Economic and Pandemic Recovery for Governor Roy Cooper. Lilley was appointed Secretary of Commerce in January 2025 by Governor Josh Stein.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce works closely with local, regional, national, and international organizations to propel economic, community, and workforce development for the state to help carry out its mission to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians.
Secretary Lilley is from Williamston in Martin County. He said growing up in rural North Carolina has instilled a commitment to the rural parts of the state and rural parts of the country. Most recently, Secretary Lilley worked for Governor Roy Cooper starting in 2018 as the Director of Legislative Affairs, and then in 2021, he became the Director of Economic and Pandemic Recovery.
Economic development for the state involves many partners. Secretary Lilley said he works with North Carolina entities such as the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC), the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and partnering organizations like the Golden LEAF Foundation.
Secretary Lilley shared that the Department of Commerce has several divisions and programs. One of the divisions that support rural economic development is the Rural Economic Development Division (REDD). Secretary Lilley added that the Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development Kenny Flowers is in charge of REDD, which has several different funding programs and provides planning services, analysis, and identification of resources needed to strengthen rural economic and community development projects. Other divisions and programs under the Department of Commerce include the Employment Security Division, the Division of Workforce Solutions, NCWorks Career Centers, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Labor and Economic Analysis Division. Secretary Lilley said that the Department of Commerce does a lot of things that ultimately move in the direction of cultivating the conditions of prosperity in every corner of the state.
The Department of Commerce is also working to address disaster recovery from Hurricane Helene through the Division of Community Revitalization, which was created by Governor Stein, on his first day in office, said Secretary Lilley. The Division of Community Revitalization’s job is to manage the $1.4 billion in federal Community Development Block Grants-Disaster Recovery funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Stephanie McGuire with the North Carolina Pandemic Recovery Office was hired to lead the division. Governor Stein has also created the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC). GROW NC’s job is to make sure that the state has coordinated recovery efforts across all the different divisions, departments, and partnerships, Secretary Lilley said.
Secretary Lilley’s vision for the Department of Commerce is “people, place and partnership.” For “people,” he explained, North Carolina’s workforce is really the differentiating factor when the Department of Commerce is thinking about not only recruiting jobs but growing the businesses that are in North Carolina. Secretary Lilley shared that one of the ways workforce alignment issues are being addressed is through the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships. For “place,” Secretary Lilley said it is about infrastructure, making sure that towns, counties, and communities have the infrastructure that they need to compete and to keep jobs and grow jobs where they are. He said there is a good team in place working on continued investment in North Carolina’s infrastructure. For “partner,” this is about how the Department of Commerce is engaging with the global economy. It also is about how the Department of Commerce is working with economic development organizations, towns, counties, businesses, and philanthropy, explained Secretary Lilley. He added that “partner” also extends to the alignment with federal priorities and funding opportunities.
To learn more about the North Carolina Department of Commerce visit commerce.nc.gov.