Who We Are
Founded on faith-driven service, CVCMinistries has served North Carolina for over a decade — building bridges to career opportunity while nurturing the whole person through community events, recreational activities, cultural celebrations, and health and wellness initiatives that strengthen neighborhoods from the inside out.
Our Mission
“To equip individuals with the career skills, professional confidence, and community connections necessary to achieve sustainable employment and economic independence — while fostering a sense of belonging through shared experiences, cultural enrichment, and holistic community development.”
Our Vision
“A region where every person — regardless of background — has access to the career pathways, community support, and enriching experiences they need to truly thrive.”
Our Story
CVCMinistries was born out of a moment of reckoning. In the early 2010s, a group of faith leaders, community organizers, and concerned citizens gathered around a shared observation: the people in their congregations and neighborhoods — many of them hardworking, determined, and full of potential — were being left behind by an economy that had no on-ramp for them. Credentials were out of reach. Connections were nonexistent. Confidence had been eroded by years of systemic exclusion.
In 2011, Rev. Dr. James H. Carter led the formal incorporation of Community Vocational Career Ministries (CVCMinistries), establishing the legal and organizational infrastructure needed to address workforce exclusion head-on. The first office was a borrowed room in a church fellowship hall. The first team was a handful of volunteers with laptops and a shared conviction. The first program served a cohort of twelve young people — and the results were immediate and profound.
By 2014, the organization had grown enough to launch YVN — the Youth Vocational Network — as a distinct, youth-facing program brand designed to connect more naturally with young people ages 16 to 24. YVN's street presence, peer-driven culture, and community partnerships quickly became a multiplier for the organization's reach and impact.
Today, CVCMinistries is a growing organization with a clear mission and a deepening community presence. We continue to build our employer network, expand our service area, and refine our programs each cycle based on participant feedback. Beyond workforce development, CVCMinistries invests in the whole community — hosting sports tournaments, cultural gatherings, health fairs, family events, and recreational activities that build connection, promote wellness, and celebrate the richness of the people we serve. The organization remains anchored in the same faith-driven conviction that started it all: that every person, regardless of where they begin, deserves a real shot at a meaningful life.
Our Values
Five principles guide every decision we make, every program we design, and every relationship we build.
We operate with full transparency in our finances, our program outcomes, and our relationships with participants, partners, and funders. Trust is the foundation of everything we do.
We hold ourselves to the highest standards in program quality, staff development, and participant outcomes — because the people we serve deserve nothing less than our very best effort.
We are nothing without the communities we serve. We listen before we act, partner before we prescribe, and measure our success by the strength of the relationships we build over time.
We believe every person deserves access to the career pathways they need to achieve economic independence — and we build our programs to remove every barrier that stands in the way.
Our work is grounded in a belief that human dignity is inherent and that every person has gifts worth cultivating. That conviction drives our persistence, our compassion, and our long-term commitment to those we serve.
Who Guides Us
Experienced, passionate, and deeply connected to the communities they serve — our leaders bring decades of combined expertise to the work of workforce development.
Founder & Executive Director
With 20+ years of community service leadership, Dr. Carter founded CVCMinistries after witnessing the devastating effects of structural unemployment in his congregation and neighborhood. His vision and relentless advocacy have shaped every aspect of the organization's growth.
Chief Program Officer
Angela brings 15 years of workforce development experience to her role overseeing all program design, delivery, and evaluation across CVCMinistries and YVN. Her data-driven approach has dramatically improved participant outcomes since she joined the team in 2016.
Director of YVN
A former program participant himself, Marcus leads the Youth Vocational Network with authenticity and deep community trust. He holds an M.S. in Organizational Leadership and is a living example of what becomes possible when someone gets the right support at the right time.
Board Chair
Dr. Lowe is a retired professor of education policy and serves as Board Chair, guiding CVCMinistries' strategic direction and institutional accountability. Her expertise in equity-centered policy has helped shape the organization's long-term growth strategy.
CVCMinistries is committed to the highest standards of nonprofit governance, financial transparency, and legal compliance.
CVCMinistries is committed to transparency with our donors, partners, and the communities we serve. We are happy to share organizational information with anyone who asks. To learn more about our governance structure or programs, please contact our office.
Milestones
From a borrowed church room to a multi-county workforce development organization — here are the moments that defined us.
CVCMinistries officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, led by Rev. Dr. James H. Carter and a founding board of community and faith leaders committed to addressing structural unemployment.
Welcomed our inaugural class of 12 youth participants, operating out of a church fellowship hall with a volunteer staff. All 12 graduates went on to employment or further education within six months.
Youth Vocational Network launched as a distinct program brand, designed to connect more directly with young people ages 16–24 through community-centered outreach and peer-driven programming.
Program reach expanded from 3 to 8 counties following a strategic partnership with the State Workforce Board and a major capacity grant from the Acme Foundation.
The organization continues to deepen its community presence, grow its employer network, and reach new participants across the region who need a pathway into meaningful work.
CVCMinistries is actively developing new partnerships, exploring program expansion, and investing in the infrastructure needed to serve more people — and serve them better — in the years ahead.
“What started as a mission became a movement — and that movement is just getting started.”