Adam Klein: How Duke’s Community Partnerships Benefit Durham

A Q&A with Duke’s AVP for economic development

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Volunteers working to build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

Why did Duke create this position? 

This role is community-facing, in support of our longstanding work in affordable housing and with the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership. It’s also about making sure the community work we do is fully integrated with our day-to-day operations and how we partner. That’s reflected in my reporting jointly to Stelfanie Williams, vice president for Community Affairs, and Daniel Ennis, executive vice president. 

All five elements of our Strategic Community Impact Plan – housing affordability and infrastructure, nutrition and food security, early childhood education, college and career readiness, and nonprofit support – are what community members told us mattered most to them. Creating this role is the latest step in integrating these priorities across the institution and embedding them into everything we do. 

What makes you a good fit for this role and why did it appeal to you? 

Durham is home for me. I have lived here for 17 years, and my children attend Durham Public Schools. I care deeply about this community, and it's where I've invested a lot of my personal and professional time. I supported entrepreneurs at the American Tobacco campus and the American Underground startup hub, both of which I’m proud to have helped make more diverse, and I worked with the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce.  

I see this role as having two essential elements: First, working with the community to understand the work they're doing and how we can support it. We’re here to listen, and we want to have more of those conversations. Second, incorporating our community in Duke's aspirations, like our Climate Commitment, can have a really positive impact on the city. 

Adam Klein
Adam Klein, Duke's AVP for economic development

What have you learned so far? 

What has really struck me is how much meaningful support Duke has provided and continues to provide to Durham that many people in our community don’t know about.  

For example, Duke University and Duke Health invested nearly $24 million in financial contributions to local government and nonprofit entities in Durham in 2023, which includes more than $10 million for Durham-based organizations and nonprofits. This is all in addition to the in-kind, volunteer, and service programs in partnership with our neighbors. Duke also provides its own fire and EMS services and makes $4 million in direct fire service and EMS payments each year to the city. 

“What has really struck me is how much meaningful support Duke has provided and continues to provide to Durham that many people in our community don’t know about.”

Adam Klein

Even though Duke is a nonprofit, we still pay $9.7 million in property taxes each year. Duke pays taxes on our non-academic buildings, like the Washington Duke Inn. And from the payments Duke makes each year to lease 2.8 million square feet of space from Durham property owners, $7.2 million goes toward property taxes.  

Had Duke adopted a different strategy and bought office space for its needs, that property would have been tax-exempt. Instead, Duke made a conscious decision to lease space in Durham to grow the property tax base and to contribute to tax coffers every year. For example, more than two decades ago, Duke partnered with city leaders to become an anchor tenant to support the renovation of the American Tobacco Campus as part of a strategy developed closely with local government partners. Duke’s upfront pledge to occupy spaces helped spark new, tax-paying properties that have increased tax revenue to the city. 

These investments were about more than Duke; they were about powering the revitalization of downtown alongside Durham residents and leaders, a transformation that has yielded many multiples of the raw investment in new tax revenues for our public officials to use to improve lives in Durham through business, arts, entertainment, sports and community support. 

You mentioned affordable housing. What is Duke doing in that area? 

We know there is a squeeze on affordable housing in Durham. Duke banks more than $22 million with local Community Development Financial Institutions to support the construction of more affordable homes. We contributed $1 million as one of the original partners to the city for the Willard Street affordable housing project, placing more than 70  needed units next to the downtown transit station, and we were a development partner in the adjoining Ashton Place senior community.  

Last year, we provided a $1 million grant to the Durham Housing Authority to support the city’s effort to successfully secure a $40 million Choice Neighborhood Grant from the federal government. These efforts are already bearing fruit with the groundbreaking for the Commerce Street Apartments in August. 

Duke also collaborates with Durham Habitat for Humanity each year. Together we’ve built nearly two dozen much-needed and affordable homes. 

Why is it important for Duke to invest in our community? 

Duke would not be what it is without the incredible community that is our hometown. Duke is the largest employer in Durham, with 62 percent of our employees living here. That’s 29,000 people; Duke and Durham are inextricably linked. Our employees are our best asset, and we care about them.  

The Duke Homebuyers Club helps employees and their families achieve first-time homeownership. Many of our employees are among the Duke Health patients who receive $159 million in direct financial assistance each year; some are parents of children in Durham Public Schools participating in free tutoring and after-school programs offered by Duke students; or pathways from high school to high-demand careers in health care. 

“Duke would not be what it is without the incredible community that is our hometown. Duke is the largest employer in Durham, with 62 percent of our employees living here. That’s 29,000 people; Duke and Durham are inextricably linked.”

Our employees are taxpayers who own and rent homes here and spend their money in Durham. Duke also supports the growth of Durham businesses directly. Last year, of the $ 1.1 billion Duke spent with North Carolina vendors, $232 million went to Durham-based companies. These investments create a ripple effect in our community, as those businesses employ residents who then spend those dollars at their grocery stores, hair salons, and favorite dinner spots. 

Duke also invested in the revitalization of downtown from a cultural perspective. As Durham was revamping its business district, Duke contributed $7.5 million to the creation of the Durham Performing Arts Center, which draws thousands of people from across the region each year. 

So through our direct investments, our employees and our other efforts in the community, Duke has been an inextricable part of Durham for 100 years, and we intend to be an essential partner in Durham’s success in the next century and beyond. I welcome the opportunity to talk to anyone who wants to engage with us in partnering to shape that future.