Dedication set for I-440 interchange being named for late NC political strategist
This story was updated April 28, 2025.
A dedication ceremony to rename a portion of Interstate 440 after a North Carolina political strategist is set for Wednesday.
Conen Morgan, 42, died in a boating accident on the Outer Banks in 2023.
In January, Mayor Pro Tem Stormie Forte asked the Raleigh City Council to support naming the I-440 and Capital Boulevard interchange in honor of Morgan, who was a Raleigh native. The council unanimously voted in favor of the resolution.
The dedication will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Andrew Goodwin House, 220 Hillsborough St. Local and state leaders and members of Morgan’s family will be there.
In January, Forte said Morgan’s mother approached her about the resolution.
“He was a pillar in the community and a rising star in North Carolina politics, as well,” Forte said.
A local resolution is required as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s renaming process. The NCDOT Board of Transportation also approved the renaming in January.
Who was Conen Morgan?
Morgan was co-founder and managing partner for the Longleaf Agency, former president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina and spent 30 years as a competitor, event leader and award-ceremony emcee for the N.C. Science Olympiad. He posthumously received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the most prestigious award presented by the governor of North Carolina.
An N.C. State University and Garner Magnet High School graduate, Morgan also helped several political candidates across the state get elected to office.
“He led many successful campaigns and supported the historic campaigns of Black women like Vi Lyles and Elaine O’Neal, the first African American [female] mayors of Charlotte and Durham, respectively,” according to the city’s resolution.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 8:45 AM.
