A version of the following article appeared in the October 16, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Carol Hardison's parents taught her to see humanity in everyone. She made it her life's work.
Retiring Crisis Assistance Ministry CEO Carol Hardison speaking at an Electrolux event. (Photo courtesy of Crisis Assistance.)
by Carroll Walton
For 25 years, Carol Hardison has stood in the ever-widening gap between Charlotte’s haves and have-nots.
As CEO of Charlotte’s Crisis Assistance Ministry, she has helped ease economic hardship for people who line up out the door every morning at their headquarters on the outskirts of uptown. With an annual budget of nearly $19M, the nonprofit provides emergency assistance for rent, utilities and material goods.
Day after day, Hardison has modeled for her employees how to show grace toward those struggling to pay bills while raising the funds to help them do it.
Hardison is retiring as the second CEO of the organization, after following in the footsteps of founder Caroline Myers. Hardison’s last day is Jan. 31. The search for her successor has closed, and the top three finalists will be tabbed by the end of November. Her replacement is expected to be announced in December.
In corporate terms, Hardison leaves a legacy of helping the city’s marginalized residents through the recession of 2007, the pandemic, Border Patrol arrests and a skyrocketing cost of living. In human terms, she has mastered the skill of bridging what divides and doing it without judgment.
That’s exactly what her parents taught her. When other children were vacationing on spring break and over the holidays, Hardison, her two siblings and their parents were serving. Never was it more impactful than the Christmas parties they hosted on Florida’s death row.
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