Andrea Smith and Michael Marsicano Named 2023 North Carolina Business Hall of Fame Laureates
High-Impact NC Leaders Selected for Business Hall of Fame
Charlotte, NC (November 3, 2022) – Andrea Smith, former Chief Administrative Officer and current Alumni Network Chair for Bank of America and Michael Marsicano, President and CEO of Foundation For The Carolinas, will be inducted into the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame in March 2023 at a celebration hosted by Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, a youth empowerment nonprofit.
The NC Business Hall of Fame honors prestigious leaders like Smith and Marsicano who have dedicated their careers to growing a vibrant community. Selected for their integrity, leadership, and contribution to North Carolina’s economic landscape, each Laureate embodies an entrepreneurial spirit and creates a purposeful impact in their community.
Deeply admired across the community, Andrea Smith blazes trails for women in banking. In addition to her continuing role as head of Bank of America’s new Alumni Network, Smith served in many senior leadership roles at Bank of America, including Global Head of Human Resources, where she drove lasting organization-wide change in talent and diversity and inclusion efforts. Thanks to her leadership, Bank of America received recognition for its supplier diversity, spending more than $2 billion with women- and minority-owned businesses. Smith is passionate about philanthropy and increasing educational opportunities for youth in Charlotte and served as co-chair of the Leading on Opportunity Council among other board leadership roles throughout her career. Invested in removing financial barriers to higher education, Smith and her husband, Sean, have endowed several scholarships at East Carolina University, Southern Methodist University and Carolina Youth Coalition that provide important support to help students pursue their academic goals.
Smith’s dedication to making a difference across the Carolinas has earned her several awards and recognitions, including being named the 2021 Citizen of the Carolinas by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, Queen University’s Charlotte Business Woman of the Year (2016) as well as seven years on American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking list.
“I am thrilled to be honored by Junior Achievement. It was the very first organization I volunteered with at Bank of America in 1992, and I share their passion for helping young people from all backgrounds make smart financial choices and enjoy long-term success,” said Smith. “I am very grateful to join Michael and all of the other past honorees in being recognized for the impact we’ve made across the Carolinas.”
Respected across business, government, and nonprofit leaders alike, Michael Marsicano is best known for his transformative leadership of FFTC, which he joined in 1999. His guidance and influence have seen the organization grow from $235 million in philanthropic assets to nearly $4 billion and from the 35th-largest community foundation in America to the fifth-largest in the nation. Under his leadership, FFTC became known as a community consensus-builder focused on addressing the region’s greatest challenges.
Marsicano has received numerous awards throughout his career acknowledging the partnerships and results he has created in North Carolina including: the Duke University Distinguished Alumni Award (2022), Charlotte Business Journal’s “Most Admired CEO Lifetime Achievement Award” (2021), Charlotte Business Journal’s “Business Person of the Year Award” (2019) and Charlotte Magazine’s ranking as the #1 Most Powerful Person in Charlotte (2017). Most recently, he was named the 2022 Citizen of the Carolinas by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
“It is a privilege to be recognized with Andrea Smith, who I admire for her business acumen and civic leadership,” said Marsicano. “As a nonprofit executive, I never expected to be inducted into a business hall of fame! This honor is a testament to the role philanthropy has come to play in partnerships with corporations. Together, philanthropy and corporate giving help strengthen nonprofits such as Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas, with its meaningful and exemplary service to our youth.”
Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas is thrilled to celebrate these two dynamic leaders and recognize the contributions they have made toward economic growth and mobility in our state. Smith and Marsicano will be honored at the NC Business Hall of Fame Ceremony at the Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte on March 28, 2023.
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About Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas
Junior Achievement is the world's largest organization dedicated to giving students the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their future, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement of Central Carolinas (JACC), located in Camp North End, works with corporate and community volunteers to deliver learning experiences. The relevant, hands-on experiences give students from kindergarten through high school knowledge and skills to increase their likelihood of experiencing career success, starting a business and positively navigating economic mobility. Visit www.jacarolinas.org for more information.
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