Carolinas AGC Announces Executive Leadership Transition

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Carolinas AGC (CAGC) is pleased to announce that Leslie Clark will succeed Dave Simpson as President and CEO of CAGC, effective April 1, 2027. At that time, Dave will become a consultant for a year to ensure continuity and confidence. The Executive Committee of the Board, and Dave and Leslie, are currently working with a consulting firm to ensure a seamless transition.

In addition, Dave and Leslie are already working closely together and will continue to partner closely over the next 14 months. With a combined service to our excellent organization of over 60 years, Dave and Leslie are well-positioned to help ensure that CAGC continues to thrive as the trusted voice of construction in the Carolinas.

Lynn Hansen, Chair of the CAGC Board of Directors, said the timing for the transition could not be better. "Carolinas AGC is in great shape," she said. "Over the past 37 years, including 12 as President and CEO, Dave Simpson has done an incredible job in becoming the face of Carolinas AGC. He also has helped lead CAGC to, for the second time in our 105-year-old history, national recognition as the best of the largest chapters of the 87 chapters across the nation."

Simpson agreed on the succession timing, adding: "Like so many construction companies, we've been through great times and tough times over the last several decades at Carolinas AGC. April 2027 will be the right time for me to turn over the helm of CAGC to the very capable Leslie Clark."

Simpson joined CAGC in 1989 as NC Building Division Director and became CAGC President & CEO in 2014. Clark began in 2000, serving as the SC Building Division Director, SC Highway Division Director and most recently, the COO/VP of SC External Affairs.

Meantime, there is and has been a strategic plan in place that is updated annually and guides the Staff and the Board as decisions are made. Over the last several years, one of the focuses of the Strategic Plan is Management Succession. The Executive Committee of the BOD has been working through a very scripted and deliberate process to plan for succession within CAGC. Although changes are not immediate, we want our members to know about our plans, have confidence in this excellent association and know that our primary purpose is Building Our Members' Success.

As CAGC transitions toward the future, its goal is and always will be to adhere to its core values of being member-led, member-focused, managed well, and employee centric; the CAGC Team will continue to be a resource for its members, a place of stability for the commercial construction industry and will strive for continual improvement. This is a time of celebration and confidence in our future!

Carolinas AGC (CAGC) is a construction trade association made up of small and large commercial contractors and construction-related firms that perform building, utility, and/or highway work in the Carolinas. CAGC is a chapter of AGC of America and ARTBA. Visit us at www.cagc.org, Facebook, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn. Learn about CAGC membership here.

Media Contact: Lori McGovern, 704/222-8246, [email protected].

SOURCE Carolinas AGC