Novant exec: I struggled in school. That’s why I agreed to help CMS for a year.

In 1991, I was a college drop-out, who stumbled even harder and wound up in trouble with the law. Today, I hold an MBA from Wake Forest University and a job I love.

This month, I’m temporarily leaving my leadership role at Novant Health to serve Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools as an executive on loan. Armed with my professional and life experience, I hope to contribute during this pivotal time for CMS and help students like the teen I was — a boy who earned a college scholarship, lost it, and messed up big time but recovered because of people who believed in me.

I’ll join executives from a variety of backgrounds in this new CMS initiative, launched in partnership with the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council. Over the next 12 to 18 months, we will listen, learn and make recommendations on a host of topics, including staffing and recruitment, school safety, physical and mental health services, and more. A key goal is that by 2024, 95% of CMS students will earn a diploma within four years.

Every child should be afforded the opportunity to pursue their dreams regardless of their background. They also need to know they can survive a mistake or two along the way. Just like I did.

My high school grades had earned me a full academic scholarship to North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. It was thrilling! But when I got to campus, I felt unprepared and disconnected. I took remedial classes in math just to be on track for my business management major.

My grades were bad. I decided that school wasn’t for me. In 1991, I became a sophomore college drop-out. Lesson one: The worst decisions I’ve made in life, I’ve made alone.

Dr. Danny Poe, the assistant dean of the school of business, had taken an interest in me. “Mr. McGregor,” he’d greet me, “How are we doing today?” When I told him I planned to leave, he was disappointed but said to let him know if I ever wanted to return.

Things got worse. Though I was hired as manager of several fast food restaurants, later I landed in trouble with the law. I was fortunate to be assigned to a first offender’s deferral program, which allowed for the dismissal of my case after I completed certain requirements.

Then I started two businesses, one installing computer cabling for mid-size companies and a car wash service for dealerships. Everyone said I should go back to school. It was my future mother-in-law, a former CMS teacher and Guilford County Schools principal, who finally got through to me. She said I’d be successful no matter what, but wouldn’t it be better to have a back-up plan? She offered to pay for the degree and I could pay her back. I took her up on it.

When I returned to A&T, I caught up with Dr. Poe, who made sure I had mentoring and other resources to succeed. I earned my bachelor’s from A&T while working full-time as a computer operator. I’m where I am now only because Dr. Poe and others invested in me. Every child in CMS deserves such support.

This CMS initiative can help create those conditions for our children. I compare it to rowing, an Olympic sport I love. Eight rowers pull together in one boat. It’s amazing to watch as they skim through the water when in sync.

In CMS, the students, parents, staff, faculty, administration, and community all have a seat on the boat. If we’re not in sync, we may row in circles and get nowhere. But if we are, and everyone lends their talents, we can slice through choppy waters and arrive at our destination in record time.