Elon President Connie Ledoux Book and alum Sean Burke ’14 will join the Journal’s list of more than 100 visionaries from a 16-county region leading Charlotte in various industries.
Elon President Connie Ledoux Book and alum Sean Burke ’14 have been named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s Power 100.
President Book was recognized for her commitment to expanding Elon University’s presence through new programming and steering the merger with Queens University. Over the last six years, Elon has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for teaching, emphasizing the university’s commitment to engaged and experiential learning. Book hopes that the merger will create an even greater talent pipeline for the Charlotte community, strengthening local businesses and organizations.
“I’m a student of the science behind innovation, and research demonstrates how cities are engines of innovation,” Book told the Charlotte Business Journal. “As people come together, they build synergies that unleash creativity. Higher education is essential to this equation…”
Senior Director of PGIM Sean Burke ’14 was recognized by the Charlotte Business Journal for his commitment to finding new ways to finance affordable and workforce housing in the Charlotte area. Over the last 25 years, PGIM has provided over $29 billion in affordable and mission-driven financing, preserving over 307,000 multifamily units. Burke hopes that affordable and workforce housing will come to be viewed as essential economic infrastructure that drives economic mobility, workforce stability, and long-term growth.
“I challenge conventional thinking because the most pressing issues rarely have simple solutions,” Burke told the Journal.
Burke graduated with a degree in finance and was a Business Fellow, a scholar in the Odyssey Program and a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. In 2024, the Office of Alumni Engagement recognized Burke with a Top 10 Under 10 award.