Press Release: Janeen Bryant Selected as CBI Executive Director
CHARLOTTE, NC (June 16, 2022): After a competitive search process with significant interest, the Board of Directors is proud to announce Janeen Bryant has been hired as the next Executive Director of Community Building Initiative (CBI). Bryant succeeds founding Executive Director Dianne English, who retired at the end of last year.
“I have taken part in CBI programming and worked with them in the past, so I am thrilled at the opportunity to now lead Community Building Initiative,” says Bryant. “CBI’s mission and values align perfectly with mine: A human-centered society in which we see all individuals as valuable and move closer to our goal of community equity. My intention is to both preserve the legacy of Community Building Initiative, and to guide it onward as CBI evolves to meet the ever-changing needs of Charlotte-Mecklenburg.”
Community Building Initiative Board Chair Rick McDermott said, “Janeen is a tireless advocate for issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, and she brings with her a wealth of experience that spans more than 20 years, five countries, two degrees and multiple areas of expertise. She is perfectly positioned to move Community Building Initiative forward with competence and compassion.”
Bryant was selected from a large pool of applicants after a six-month search. Elinvar Leadership Solutions worked with the CBI Board and a Search Committee composed of current and former Board members and community stakeholders to make this decision. During this time, Stephen Smith served as Interim Executive Director.
Most recently, Bryant worked as the Founder and Principal Consultant for Facilitate Movement, LLC. She and her team specialized in crafting proactive strategies that guided institutions to address shifting demographics with responsive leadership, strengthening long-term vision, cultural competency and empathy. Bryant also served as a liaison and Community Catalyst Coach for 12 communities in the Southeast through her work with My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, an initiative of the Obama Foundation. She has served on the boards of MeckEd and the Brenda H. Tapia Family Foundation, and is a 2021 Black Voices for Black Justice Award recipient.
CBI engages about 2500 people each year through a range of programs designed to equip people and organizations with the knowledge, skills and courage to fight bias, remove barriers to opportunity and to build a more equitable and just Charlotte-Mecklenburg. More information about CBI’s mission, programming and work can be found at cbicharlotte.org. Bryant is scheduled to begin her new role with Community Building Initiative on July 25th.
###
