Originally published on December 11, 2024, by Erik Spanberg for Charlotte Business Journal
The Charlotte Regional Business Alliance has hired Tracy Dodson to fill the newly created Chief Operating Officer position. Dodson, who now runs the city of Charlotte’s economic development division, will also fill the lead economic development executive role at CLT Alliance. This position has been vacant for a year.
Dodson’s hiring comes amid more changes at CLT Alliance. The nonprofit continues to search for a permanent CEO after Janet LaBar stepped down last spring. Other changes include scaling back the size of the organization’s board, which will directly oversee the CEO, and eliminating the chief marketing and communications officer job.
While those moves and other tweaks are in the works, the search for a new CEO continues with consultant Thadd Jones and Charlotte-based headhunting firm Nexus Search Partners. Interim CEO Andrea Smith said the search is progressing and remains on track for a permanent CEO to be in place early in 2025. Smith has committed to remaining a strategic adviser after a full-time CEO is in place.