North Carolina Governor Names Jim Johnson to New Equity Task Force
Group will work to identify and address inequities highlighted by COVID-19.
Raleigh, N.C. (July 15, 2020) — North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has named Dr. James H. Johnson Jr., William R. Kenan Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship and director of the Kenan Institute-affiliated Urban Investment Strategies Center, to the newly created Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force. The task force, established by the governor’s Executive Order 143, will address the social, environmental, economic and health disparities in communities of color that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The group’s first meeting is anticipated in early August.
“Inequities in North Carolina are not new, but COVID-19 is shining a bright light on disparities that have gone unchecked in our health care and economic institutions for communities of color,” said Cooper. “This task force is the right way to address these inequities as we recover from the pandemic so that as we come back from this, we improve access to affordable healthcare and quality economic opportunities.”
Johnson will serve as an at-large member within the 22-member organization.
