Coming from an impoverished upbringing in segregated North Carolina, Dr. Jim Johnson knew he had a larger purpose.

He once told Fast Company magazine for its “Hopes and Dreams” issue: “There are pressing social problems we should be addressing, and I had to do something. I’ve always believed I was put on this earth to make a difference.”

Today, Johnson is doing that through various youth and education programs he’s started and his efforts as a noted workplace diversity and entrepreneurship scholar at the University of North Carolina.

In this edition of the IN Chamber podcast, Johnson talks about competitive businesses intelligence, the importance of having "courageous conversations” with each other around diversity, how states and communities should focus on getting workers to return to their hometowns – and much more.

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