Insider's Corner: Kim Nelson
After a career in the pharmaceutical industry, working on both the scientific and business sides, Kim Nelson retired in 2014. Nelson, who is 59, and her husband, Tim, traded in workwear for travel duds.
City: Wilmington
Hometown: Bolivar, Pennsylvania
Any professional work that you still do now? “Strategic consulting mostly in the nonprofit industry”
How did you prepare for retirement? “The long-term financial vision that we wanted was to retire early and travel the world. We started investing young and stuck with it.”
How long have you lived in the Wilmington area? “Since 2005”
Why did you choose to retire here? “We moved here for my career. I had an option of Wilmington or the Raleigh-Durham area. We chose Wilmington for the quality of life. Important to us: near the water, great food and wine scene, public radio station (WHQR), university nearby (UNCW), good cultural activities and a wonderful place to live in general. Wilmington checked all the boxes for us!”
What community activities are you involved in? “GLOW (Girls Leadership Academy of Wilmington) board member, Young Scientist Academy board member, District C trained coach, UNCW-Cameron Executive Network Advisory Council and mentor, FuseCR Advisory Council and mentor, QENO (Quality Enhancement for Nonprofit Organizations) coach, SeaTech Advisory Council member, Leadership Wilmington Advisory Council member, United Way of the Cape Fear Area Planning and Investment Committee member, UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Blue Economy strategic adviser. And, of course, the stuff I do with WILMA’s Women to Watch Leadership Initiative.”
What do you recommend for others moving here who want to be involved with the community? “Identify what is your passion: What do you care about in life? Then find an organization that is doing work in that area. There are many nonprofits and local organizations addressing needs here in the community. Ask around, and I am sure you can find one that matches your interests. The United Way of the Cape Fear area, QENO and Cape Fear Collective are three organizations that have good awareness of who is doing what in the community. Or feel free to reach out to me! I love connecting people to organizations in the community.”
Any restaurant picks? “We’re so fortunate that Wilmington has such a great food scene! Our favorite restaurant, manna, has the total package of excellent food, wine and service. Brassiere du Soleil is a nice place for an outdoor lunch. A few recent entries to the Wilmington food scene with good food and nice outdoor space are Three10 and True Blue Butcher and Barrel.”
