Chris Suggs

About Chris Suggs

I’m a community developer, organizer, and former city councilmember from Kinston, North Carolina, with a track record of building durable institutions, strengthening public systems, and turning community vision into measurable outcomes. I’m the Founder and CEO of Kinston Teens, a youth-led organization I launched as a high school student that has grown into a nationally recognized model for youth leadership development, civic engagement, and place-based community revitalization.I recently completed a four-year term on the Kinston City Council, where I focused on improving City Hall operations, strengthening core services, and guiding the city through recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Elected at age 21, I became the youngest elected official in North Carolina at the time, bringing a fresh but systems-oriented approach to municipal governance. Grounded in both grassroots organizing and institutional leadership, I’m increasingly focused on sharing lessons from my hometown with communities beyond Kinston—and I’m always open to connecting, learning, and collaborating.

Experience

1. Chief Executive Officer

   Kinston Teens, Inc

   Oct 2014 — Present · Kinston, NC, US

   Founder and Chief Executive Officer of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating at the intersection of youth leadership development, civic engagement, and place-based community development in Kinston, North Carolina. Launched the organization as a high school student and grew it into a nationally recognized, youth-led model for community revitalization and neighborhood power building.Provide strategic leadership for organizational vision, program design, and long-term growth, while actively engaging youth leaders, staff, board members, volunteers, and community partners. Lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of large-scale initiatives including youth civic engagement and voter participation efforts, digital inclusion and workforce readiness programs, and community revitalization projects focused on reducing blight, strengthening local ownership, and improving quality of life in East Kinston.Oversee a permanent full-time staff of five and an additional three seasonal or part-time team members, with responsibility for organizational operations, budgeting, fundraising, compliance, and human resources. Manage multiple organizational facilities, including an Administrative Office, Digital Resource Lab, and the East Kinston Neighborhood Hub, as well as a growing portfolio of community-owned properties—including the former Lewis School—used to advance long-term neighborhood development goals.Cultivate and sustain partnerships with funders, nonprofits, government agencies, and community stakeholders, and steward the organization’s public presence and communications strategy. The organization’s work and leadership have been featured nationally across print, television, and digital media, helping position Kinston Teens as a trusted voice in youth-led community development and civic leadership.

Education

• Kinston High School

  High School

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  Bachelor's degree

Skills

• Youth Development
• Youth Leadership
• Social Networking
• Event Planning
• Leadership
• Public Speaking
• Youth Mentoring
• Nonprofits
• Public Relations
• Social Media
• Research
• Community Outreach
• Fundraising