Meet Our Team
Get to Know the Work In The Triangle Team
The Work in the Triangle initiative was created by Wake County Economic Development, in partnership with the Raleigh Chamber and other regional organizations. Our team members hail from these different organizations and are committed to attracting and retaining the best talent in the Triangle.
We love it here and know you will too. Think of us as your resource for all things Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill. We want you to thrive here and love it as much as we do, so get to know us and reach out with how we can help.
Our Team
Michael Haley
Michael leads and oversees WCED’s economic development program and staff and is the primary partner for providing support to the 12 other municipalities. In his role, Michael is instrumental in creating an environment in Wake County that can grow and thrive and spends most of his time with community partners working to do so. Michael is a native North Carolinian growing up in Jacksonville before earning a BA from UNC-Chapel Hill and a MA in Public Policy from East Carolina University. He and his family are active members of the community and enjoy promoting North Carolina as a great place to live, work, and play.
What is your favorite hidden gem in the Triangle?
There are so many great things to do in the Triangle, but one of my favorite hidden gems is hiking in the woods around Falls Lake.
What activity in the Triangle should be on everyone's bucket list?
We are lucky to live on college basketball’s Tobacco Road. Going to a Carolina v. Duke game is really special.
What restaurant meal embodies Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill for you?
I love sitting at the counter and eating oysters at 42nd Street Oyster Bar in Raleigh. Great history and always a fun crowd of longtime diners and new faces.
What is the one not-to-be-missed event or festival in the Triangle?
A Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. Go Canes!
Ashley Cagle
Ashley leads WCED’s comprehensive business expansion, recruitment, and relocation efforts focused on four key market segments: Information Technology, Life Sciences, Cleantech, and Advanced Manufacturing. As a component of this, she also oversees Wake County’s talent attraction, retention and pipeline strategy, focused on growing and recruiting highly skilled talent in the Triangle. Born and raised in Richmond County, NC on her parents’ farm, Ashley holds a BA in Organizational Communications from UNC-Charlotte and a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University.
What is your favorite hidden gem in the Triangle?
The parks and trails. It literally gets no better. After living here 7 years with kids, we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of all of the parks and trails. Our favorites are the American Tobacco Trail, Historic Yates Mill Park, Harris Lake Park, the Holly Springs greenway trail, and White Oak Creek Greenway.
Best piece of advice for someone looking to move to the Triangle?
Get ready to have more friends and more fun than you’ve ever had. Look “beyond the trees” and you’ll find endless things to do and places to visit.
What restaurant meal embodies Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill for you?
Anything from Poole’s Diner, especially the mac and cheese!
What activity in the Triangle should be on everyone's bucket list?
A Canes playoff game!! Also, the Aloha Safari Zoo in Cameron, NC.
Haley Waxman
A lifelong Tar Heel, Haley leads and manages WCED’s internal and external communication, marketing, and public relations strategies. She is responsible for WCED’s national media campaign, local public relations initiatives, and digital and traditional marketing efforts to increase brand awareness of Raleigh, Wake County, and the Triangle as a top place for talent and business. A UNC-Chapel Hill graduate, she studied public relations, with a second major in media production and a minor in history.
What is your favorite hidden gem in the Triangle?
DPAC! I don’t think people truly know the caliber of talent that comes through that theater from touring Broadway performances to comedy, concerts and more.
What is the one not-to-be-missed event or festival in the Triangle?
My favorite event is Brewgaloo! Craft beer + food trucks = a great day.
What restaurant meal embodies Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill for you?
A visit to Morgan Street Food Hall. Everyone can mix and match and find something uniquely for them.
What activity in the Triangle should be on everyone's bucket list?
The State Fair. It is definitely a one-of-a-kind experience.