Habitat is leveraging multiple financial resources to create the Weavers Grove community in a key location in Chapel Hill where families can live close to work, schools, and transportation. The total cost of the development is $30M. The funding model combines revenues from the sale of Habitat-owned lots to market-rate builders, annual fundraising allocations, government grants, financing sources, and philanthropy.

The Board of Directors is responsible for the campaign, and the Honorary and Steering Committees provide critical leadership. Our campaign chairs are community leaders Betsy Blackwell and Mimi Hock.

Betsy Blackwell grew up in Davidson, North Carolina and attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her undergraduate degree where she met her husband, John Watson and then graduated from the Columbia Business School with her Masters in Business Administration. Betsy worked in the financial services industry and eventually became the Director of Marketing for a major regional bank with a specialty in business-to-business marketing, market research, and targeted marketing. Betsy moved to consulting in 1994 and then retired to a career as a volunteer. Since retirement, Betsy has focused on volunteer organizations in the Washington, DC area focusing on education, housing and other social justice issues. Following her family’s move to Europe, she became involved with Habitat for Humanity International. She has chaired several successful multi-million-dollar capital campaigns in Washington, DC, France, and NC. She has chaired several gala and major event committees including the first Susan B. Komen ball in Frankfurt, Germany. Betsy has served on and chaired various committees and boards for schools, including the Episcopal Church in Europe, American Friends of Chantilly, the Courtauld Institute in London, UNC-Chapel Hill and, now, the Nature Conservancy of NC, Habitat of Orange County, Playmakers, Carolina Performing Arts and the Ackland Art Museum.

Mimi Hock grew up in Durham, North Carolina and attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She then moved to NYC to attend the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she received a Masters of Public Health with a focus on health behavior. Mimi briefly worked in public health research before pivoting to a career in commercial real estate and small business ownership. In addition to managing real estate investments alongside her husband Tanner, she ran a small Franklin St. coffee shop for a few years which closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and has recently launched an interior design business for residential and commercial spaces called Understory Design. Mimi lives in Chapel Hill with her husband and three children. Issues pertaining to public health inequities and community service are important threads in her life. Mimi currently serves as the Vice-Chair on the Downtown Partnership of Chapel Hill.

HONORARY COMMITTEE

Sylvia and Fred Black

Moses Carey

Rev. Justin Coleman

Jean Morton Elia

Susan Gravely and Bill Ross

Alice and Trig (George) Horton

Susan Levy

Prue and Peter Meehan

Wyndham Robertson

Christy and Joel Shaffer

Jane and Adam Stein

Ron Strom and Cathy Pascal

Heather and David Yeowell

STEERING COMMITTEE

Lisa Carey and Matt Ewend

Nicci Gafinowitz

Amy Guskiewicz

Taylor Ludlam

Charles Merritt

Paula Noell

Ellen O’Brien

Hassan Pinto

Elizabeth Sasser and Jimbo Parrott

Denise and Steve Vanderwoude