I joined the staff of The North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center Jan. 2005 as Senior Associate, Community Development Corporation Grants Program.
I have gained considerable economic development experience both as a grants manager and as a registered lobbyist. Success in grant management has demanded that I be able to effectively and efficiently synthesize and evaluate information garnered from diverse sources, and I have also quite often have the occasion to present information to various groups of my own development research. More concretely, I have training and experience using a variety of technical assistance and tools for 38 Community Development Corporations and Opportunities Industrial Corporations.
Prior to The Rural Center, I was Director of Field Operations with the Affordable Housing Group from Dec. 1997 until January 2005. She has over seventeen years of credit and lending experience in the banking industry as well as experienced in providing comprehensive technical assistance to CDCs and local government in the following areas: organizational development, program design, implementation and marketing of housing counseling, homeownership education programs, board training, funding strategies, single family development, monitoring compliance, resource development and leveraging funds for construction and other development related activities necessary to determine overall success of a housing project. As an experienced housing counselor trainer, I conducted homebuyer education workshops and participated as a Trainer for the NC Association of Housing Counselors Certification Program in Housing for Housing Professionals. I was instrumental in providing training, credit analysis, and budgeting and money management for families who later became first time homebuyers in Fort Mills Avery Lake subdivision.
Prior to joining TAHG, I was privileged to hold a position as Housing Manager with Family Housing Services. I was successful in assisting many first time homebuyers to realize their dream of homeownership, also directed a housing loss mitigation program for Durham Affordable Housing in which many families were provided default counseling and budgeting, which enabled them to remain homeowners. I have gained 16 years of extensive lending experience from several banks in Virginia, North and South Carolina. I am also the Minister and founder of Women of Value, Inc. whose mission is to encourage women to believe they are unique and valuable as they change the way they think about life and begin to accomplish what's truly important by stepping into their divine purpose and destiny. I completed Norfolk Business College as well as various business and economic development certifications.