Raki McGregor, the consultant at the center of a monthslong Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools contracting controversy, is speaking publicly for the first time, defending the work that funneled tens of thousands of dollars a month to his family while the district faced scrutiny over missing records and undisclosed payment arrangements. His wife, Kimberly McGregor, is also speaking out, revealing she was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and is scheduled for surgery on Dec. 1.
McGregor joined CMS in 2022 through a partnership with the Charlotte Executive Leadership Council while he was still working as a senior executive at Novant Health, which initially covered his salary, according to The Charlotte Observer. After he left Novant in June 2024, he kept working with the district under an arrangement that sent $13,000 a month from CMS to his wife's consulting company, SYDKIMYL, with the leadership council kicking in another $13,000 monthly — bringing his total reported compensation to $26,000 a month.
Council Says District Asked for the Extra Money
Blair Stanford, the leadership council's executive director, confirmed that previously unreported contribution and said it was CMS that requested the financial support, per the Observer's reporting. Kimberly McGregor, meanwhile, held her own separate contracts to coach school administrators, and in a statement she gave the newspaper back in May 2025, she maintained that her educational consulting work for CMS was independent of her husband's involvement with the district.
The district's contract with SYDKIMYL expired in January, but the McGregors' financial ties to CMS didn't end there. In February, CMS hired the Raleigh law firm Poyner Spruill to advance an affordable-housing initiative for teachers, and that firm subsequently contracted with McGregor's company, Qonnect, under an agreement calling for $30,000 in monthly payments — details the Observer reports were never included in the contract CMS actually approved.
No Records of the Work, District Told Reporters
CMS had previously told The Charlotte Ledger that it had no records of any work produced by McGregor or Qonnect for the housing initiative. McGregor described his responsibilities on the project as coordinating government agencies, businesses and other organizations involved in the effort, and told The Optimist, “No one has asked me about outcomes.”
A separate contract between Qonnect and Poyner Spruill called for up to $132,000 in compensation for a review of CMS operations, but McGregor told The Optimist he was never paid for that work. He also declined to say whether investigators have contacted him, and he would not comment on an allegation from former CMS Superintendent Crystal Hill, who was fired in September, that she was unaware McGregor had returned to the housing project after his earlier CMS role had ended.
Asked about the broader fallout, McGregor told The Optimist, “I'm not going to apologize for doing what I think was best for students,” describing his departure from the district as deeply hurtful and devastating.
A Political Fight Over Toll Lanes
McGregor's public profile extends beyond school contracts. He chaired the Black Political Caucus's transportation committee and, according to the Observer, played a key role in persuading Charlotte City Council members in May to rescind support for the I-77 South toll-lanes project, reportedly warning them they could lose the caucus's endorsement if they didn't. Business community members had backed the project as essential to Charlotte's growth, and it was revived by September — the same month McGregor stepped down from his role with the caucus.
McGregor told The Optimist that fight cost him friendships, and when asked who had pushed him to change his position on the toll lanes, his attorney, Harold Cogdell, stopped him from answering. McGregor maintained that his September departure from the caucus had nothing to do with the school board controversy. The toll-lanes fight also carries political weight heading into next year, with several Charlotte City Council members likely to run for mayor in 2027, per the Observer.
Family Says Cancer Diagnosis Reshaped Priorities
Kimberly McGregor disclosed she was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and the disease has spread over the past four months. She has undergone months of chemotherapy and is scheduled for surgery on Dec. 1. Raki McGregor described his own shifting role amid the family's health crisis, saying, “I am now a spouse, and I have transitioned into a caregiver.”
The couple's contracting history with local government predates the current controversy. Since 2020, the McGregors have received more than $4 million in contracts with CMS and Mecklenburg County, according to separate Observer reporting. WFAE has reported that SYDKIMYL also held an annual CMS consulting contract that began at $325,000 and was later raised to $500,000, along with a separate $180,000 contract for six months of middle-school principal coaching. Former Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio has said she raised conflict-of-interest concerns about the McGregors while they held contracts with the county and school district, according to WBTV.
