By james art Why did Duke create this position?
This role is community-focused, supporting our long-standing work in affordable housing and with the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership. It’s also about making sure the community work we do is fully integrated with our day-to-day operations and how we partner. This is reflected in my joint reports to Stelfani Williams, Vice President of Community Affairs, and Daniel Ennis, Executive Vice President.
All five elements of our strategic plan for community impact—housing affordability and infrastructure, nutrition and food security, early childhood education, college and career readiness, and nonprofit support—are what community members told us, that are most important to them. The creation of this role is the final step in integrating these priorities across the institution and embedding them in everything we do.
What makes you a good fit for this role and why were you drawn to it?
Durham is home to me. I have lived here for 17 years and my children attend public schools in Durham. I care deeply about this community and have invested a lot of my personal and professional time there. I’ve supported entrepreneurs at the American Tobacco campus and the American Underground startup hub, both of which are proud to help make them more diverse, and I’ve worked with the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.
I see this role as having two main elements: firstly, working with the community to understand the work they are doing and how we can support it. We’re here to listen, and we want to have more of these conversations. Second, engaging our community in Duke’s endeavors, such as our climate commitment, can have a truly positive impact on the city.
What have you learned so far?
What really struck me was how much significant support Duke has provided and continues to provide to Durham that many people in our community are unaware of.
For example, in 2023, Duke University and Duke Health invested nearly $24 million in financial contributions to local government and nonprofits in Durham, which includes more than $10 million to Durham-based organizations and nonprofits. All of this is in addition to in-kind, volunteer and service programs in partnership with our neighbors. Duke also provides its own fire and EMS services and makes $4 million in direct fire and EMS payments each year to the city.
“What really struck me is how much meaningful support Duke has provided and continues to provide to Durham that many people in our community are unaware of.”
Adam Klein
Even though Duke is a non-profit organization, we still pay $9.7 million in property taxes each year. Duke pays taxes on our non-academic buildings, such as the Washington Duke Inn. And of the payments Duke makes each year to lease 2.8 million square feet of space from Durham property owners, $7.2 million goes to property taxes.
If Duke had adopted a different strategy and bought office space for its needs, this property would have been tax exempt. Instead, Duke made a conscious decision to lease space in Durham to increase the property’s tax base and contribute to the tax coffers each year. For example, more than two decades ago, Duke partnered with city leaders to become a major tenant to support the renovation of the American Tobacco Campus as part of a strategy developed in close collaboration with local government partners. Duke’s advance pledge to take acreage helped create new tax-paying properties that increased tax revenue for the city.
These investments were more than Duke; they were about powering downtown revitalization with Durham residents and leaders, a transformation that resulted in multiple raw investments in new tax revenue for our public officials to use to improve life in Durham through business, arts, entertainment, sports and community support.
You mentioned affordable housing. What is Duke doing in this area?
We know there is pressure on affordable housing in Durham. Duke is banking more than $22 million with local community development financial institutions to support the construction of more affordable homes. We contributed $1 million as one of the city’s original partners to the Willard Street Affordable Housing Project, putting more than 70 needed units next to the central transit station and we were a development partner in the neighboring senior living community Ashton Place.
Last year, we awarded a $1 million grant to the Durham Housing Authority to support the city’s efforts to successfully secure a $40 million Neighborhood Choice grant from the federal government. Those efforts are already bearing fruit with the Commerce Street Apartments breaking ground in August.
Duke also partners with Durham Habitat for Humanity each year. Together we have built nearly two dozen much-needed and affordable homes.
Why is it important for Duke to invest in our community?
Duke would not be what it is without the amazing community that is our hometown. Duke is Durham’s largest employer, with 62 percent of our employees living here. That’s 29,000 people; Duke and Durham are inextricably linked. Our employees are our best asset and we take care of them.
The Duke Home Buyers Club helps employees and their families acquire a home for the first time. Many of our employees are among Duke Health’s patients who receive $159 million in direct financial assistance each year; some are parents of children in Durham Public Schools who participate in free tutoring and extracurricular programs offered by Duke students; or pathways from high school to high-demand health care careers.
“Duke would not be what it is without the incredible community that is our hometown. Duke is Durham’s largest employer, with 62 percent of our employees living here. That’s 29,000 people; Duke and Durham are inextricably linked.”
Our employees are taxpayers who own and rent homes here and spend their money in Durham. Duke also directly supports business growth in Durham. Last year, of the $1.1 billion Duke spent with North Carolina suppliers, $232 million went to Durham-based companies. These investments create a ripple effect in our community as these businesses employ residents who then spend those dollars at their grocery stores, hair salons and favorite dining spots.
Duke is also invested in revitalizing downtown from a cultural perspective. As Durham redeveloped its business district, Duke contributed $7.5 million to create the Durham Center for the Performing Arts, which attracts thousands of people from across the region each year.
So through our direct investments, our employees and our other community efforts, Duke has been an integral part of Durham for 100 years, and we intend to be an important partner in Durham’s success in the next century and beyond. I welcome the opportunity to speak to anyone who wants to engage with us in partnership to shape that future.