Charlotte’s emerging leaders: Kelsey Van Dyke wants us to take young people seriously

Kelsey Van Dyke, the Director of Educational Innovation & Technology with Do Greater Charlotte, is working to create a space to connect the Queen City’s youth with some of Charlotte’s biggest leaders and innovators.

Do Greater Charlotte is a nonprofit focused on empowering communities through creating exposure and access to creativity, technology and entrepreneurship. The organization runs several annual programs for middle schoolers and teenagers.

In 2026, with the help of leadership by Van Dyke, Do Greater Charlotte will open its Creative Lab — the organization’s 20,000 square foot innovation and entrepreneurship hub located in Uptown Charlotte. The hub, supported by former mayor Harvey Gantt, is intended to be an engine for opportunity, according to the organizations’ website.

One completed, the space will include a screen printing hub, and innovation and tech lab, a creative digital studio and more.

In an interview with the Gambrell Foundation in November, Van Dyke told the organization that the purpose of this Creative Lab was to give Charlotte’s youth “proximity to possibility.”

“When young people see themselves in the center of the city, surrounded by creativity, business, and innovation, something clicks. They start to realize that these spaces aren’t off-limits—they’re theirs too. The Creative Lab Uptown is about creating more of those moments, so these experiences aren’t once-in-a-lifetime—they’re the starting point,” she told the foundation.

The Charlotte Observer connected with Van Dyke to learn more about her passion for this work and the challenges ahead. Her answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Full name: Kelsey Van Dyke

Age: 34

Role/Title: Director of Educational Innovation & Technology at Do Greater Charlotte

What one thing about Charlotte do you most want to change?

I want to change how seriously we take young people. Charlotte’s youth have ideas, insight and lived experience that should shape our city now, not someday. I’d love to see more spaces where young people are trusted, resourced and invited to lead.

What was the seed of your desire to accomplish building the Creative Lab that will launch next year? Where did this desire start?

I definitely can’t take credit for planting the original seed as that vision came from William McNeely, Do Greater’s founder and CEO. William has an incredible ability to see how underutilized spaces can become engines of opportunity. My own desire grew as I watched that vision up close and began to understand the transformative impact it could have on our students. Building the Creative Lab Uptown is really about giving young people proximity to possibility. We’ve had students who’ve lived their whole lives in Charlotte but never set foot in Uptown until one of our programs brought them there. One student told us that walking into a corporate office for the first time felt like stepping onto a movie set, and that moment completely shifted how she imagined her future. Those experiences are why the Creative Lab matters. They’re why being in Uptown matters. When young people can physically step into environments filled with creativity, innovation, and connection, it expands their sense of what’s possible for their lives. So while the seed wasn’t mine, I feel deeply connected to nurturing it. I can’t wait for the Creative Lab to open and to see more of those moments.

What’s the biggest challenge to doing this work?

A big challenge is that, like many nonprofits, we’re doing big, ambitious work with lean resources. Beyond that, the kind of change we’re working toward doesn’t happen overnight.

We’re not just teaching skills, we’re helping reshape how young people see themselves and what’s possible for their futures. We get to witness incredible moments of success, but the real transformation happens over years, not weeks. It takes patience, persistence and ability to stay focused on long-term impact.

What do you want people to know about you?

I take my work seriously and lead with purpose, but I don’t believe seriousness has to crowd out joy. Making space for fun and play is essential — it fuels creativity, sparks better ideas, and helps us keep showing up for the work that matters.