For more than fifty years, Brenda Weaver has lived by a credo instilled by her parents in the mountains of North Carolina: hard work, diligence and creative problem solving will make the seemingly impossible possible. Decades later, Weaver’s love of learning and passion for teaching others kept her kicking the “retirement can” down the road—until an epic natural disaster reminded her that no one is promised tomorrow.
Weaver’s professional career began long before “affordable housing” or “housing affordability” were national priorities, yet she instinctively knew that housing is integral to strong, healthy communities. That in fact homeownership is often the best—and for some families the only—way to build a secure financial future. Weaver let that knowledge take the lead in her life.
Mountain Wisdom and a Rock-Solid Work Ethic
Since turning 15, there has never been a time that Weaver hasn’t held a job of some kind. She grew up “in the last house at the end of the holler” outside of West Jefferson, a small town not far from where Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina converge, noting that the lessons she learned there shaped her views on life.
Thinking back to her childhood Weaver says, “My mom was a factory worker. My dad farmed and did other short-term jobs, and even though we didn’t have extra money, I always thought we had plenty. Growing up, I actually thought we had a lot of money. And compared to some of our neighbors, I guess we did. When I left home and got out into the real world, I realized although there were lots of people who had so much more than we had in terms of dollars and cents, they weren’t rich like we were in terms of family and love.
Weaver credits her parents for the solid support system that laid the groundwork for her professional success. “Although there was never talk of me going to college because of the cost, my parents always told me that when you set your mind to something there isn’t anything you can’t do, and nothing you can’t accomplish. It will take sacrifice and hard work, but you can do anything you want to do, if you want it badly enough.”
A Dollar Sign Changes Everything
Post high school, what Weaver wanted was a higher education, and Kentucky’s Berea College filled the bill. Able to work at the school to pay for her education, she earned degrees in both English and secondary education. Although Weaver had always planned to return to her hometown as an educator, by the time she graduated she had decided that teaching high school English was just “not my cup of tea.”
Later, Weaver would attend both the University of Wisconsin’s Graduate School of Banking and the School of Mortgage Banking at the University of Florida and Northwestern, earning her the prestigious title of Master Certified Mortgage Banker.
“Oddly, I have always hated math and numbers,” Weaver laughs. “So much so that in college, I took logic classes to satisfy the math requirement. Yet all these years I’ve been working with numbers.
“Somebody once told me that if you put a dollar sign in front of the numbers it changes everything, and that was certainly true for me. In my head, once I did that I was working with money, not doing math!”
Fannie Who?
Early in her career, Weaver “fell quite by accident” into a job with a mortgage company that offered her the chance to learn real estate financing.
“I didn’t know anything about it, and I certainly didn’t know who Fannie Mae was,” Weaver recounts. “One day a loan officer came to my desk to ask where the Fannie Mae manual was. I literally thought he was talking about some little old lady in the lobby or something. Little did I know then that I would end up working for Fannie Mae.”
With a whole new world opened up, Weaver found her niche. She loved what she was doing, and she soaked up as much mortgage education as she possibly could, earning her real estate license and completing all the appraisal classes.
A Lexington group that was opening a small community bank asked Weaver to join their team. Weaver jumped at the opportunity to help build a financial institution “from scratch,” understanding that with such a small organization “everyone had to know how to do everything.” Weaver eventually became the bank’s first female CEO, simultaneously honing her skills and building the networks necessary to help home and business owners make their own dreams come true.
It was while serving at the bank that Weaver met Kevin Smith, CEO of nonprofit Community Ventures.
Weaver notes that as a small community banker with money to lend and new customers to calling, she often had to lean hard into her creativity. “And Kevin was cut from that same cloth. Everybody said that the two of us could be quite inventive when it came to making things work for the people we were serving.”
Entrepreneurial Spirit and a One-Woman Show
Always striving for personal and professional growth, Weaver found herself bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. She formed her own one-person company, primarily aimed at providing homeownership and financial education to hopeful homebuyers and small business owners. She made it her mission to help her clients successfully navigate the process, while figuring out how to best make the financing work for each unique situation.
Again, “quite by accident” Weaver began working with both nonprofits and banks to figure out how to structure the most advantageous affordable housing deals—today better known as community development work—and Smith signed Community Ventures on as a client.
As Weaver explains, a large component of her consultant work is “putting all the puzzle pieces together” and part of that is bringing the right people to the table. Whether that meant bringing several funders together to look at a project or getting community banks and nonprofits involved, it was all about assembling the right partners to make the deals—and the numbers—work.
No Place Like Home
One of the partners Weaver frequently brought to the table was Fannie Mae, a leading provider of mortgage financing. They were so impressed by her work that they tapped Weaver to become an Area Director tasked with opening a regional office to service Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginiaand Ohio.
While she loved her work at Fannie Mae and the people that she worked with, each additional role she took on meant more and more time spent on the road.
“Back then, I kept multiple suitcases packed at all times,” Weaver recalls. “If I got home for a night, I would just switch suitcases. I didn’t have time to unpack and repack. I just grabbed the next suitcase and was off again.
“It got to the point that I would wake up in a beautiful city somewhere and not really be sure where I was. The plane landed, I found the hotel, attended my scheduled meetings and got back on the plane. There were times that I couldn’t tell you if I was in San Diego or Cleveland. So, when Fannie Mae went through some restructuring, I decided not to apply for another position.”
Intent on staying closer to home, Weaver didn’t even have time to catch her breath before joining the Kentucky Housing Corporation as Deputy Director of Programs, Policy and Public Relations.
Through it all, Weaver and Smith had stayed in touch, often talking through ideas for creative new ways to serve their clients. Smith had always been impressed with Weaver’s business acumen, out-of-the-box thinking and heart for helping people, so in 2016 he asked her to join Community Ventures to help structure and market eHomeAmerica, a new initiative aimed at national online access to homeownership education. Eighteen months later, Weaver was asked to head up housing and then, because of her vast experience in the field, she took the lead on lending as well.
Passion Meets Compassion
In December of 2021, a monster storm system ravaged Western Kentucky. Hardest hit was Mayfield, where many homes, businesses and lives were destroyed by a long-track tornado. As word of the devastation made it to Lexington, Community Ventures began brainstorming ways to help in the hardest-hit areas.
Weaver’s heart was broken for the people of the region. Armed with years of experience in assembling the kind of resources and connections needed to assist in the aftermath of disaster, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work where the need was greatest.
When the most urgent needs were met in Mayfield, Weaver began to take notice of the neighboring county and town of Fulton and saw great potential for community development in the aftermath of the devastating storm. Weaver knew that with the help of Community Ventures, the town could be poised for renewed growth via expanded housing.
Weaver is confident that housing is where a strong, stable community starts. Under her leadership, homeownership has been brought back into communities in Fulton County that hadnot experienced an increase in new housing for a very long time—16 years in the city of Fulton, and over 30 years in Hickman.
“Employers need a workforce, and people living there need jobs. People with jobs support businesses, and all these pieces are integral to a thriving community,” she nods and smiles. “I think the partnerships we have developed in Western Kentucky, and the way we have figured out how to pull it all together will be a piece of my work that I will forever look back on and say ‘Man, that was a great way to wrap up my professional career.’”
Two Western Kentucky allies that worked closely with Weaver and experienced first-hand her community-building talents are Fulton County Judge Executive Jim Martin and Mark Welch, President of Fulton-Hickman Counties Economic Development Partners.
“Brenda has been a steadfast partner to the people of this region, and her work has made a lasting difference in communities across Western Kentucky,” said Martin. “Her tireless leadership in community development has strengthened our county in ways that will be felt for generations. Beyond her professional contributions, I’m grateful for her friendship, her wisdom, and the genuine care she shows for every person she serves. Our community is better because of her.”
Welch agrees, noting “Working alongside Brenda Weaver has been a privilege and a pleasure. She hasn’t just helped us build housing and expand business opportunities in Fulton County, she has helped us build confidence, pride, and an expectation for growth in our communities. Brenda shows up with heart as well as expertise, and her friendship has meant as much to me as her leadership. Fulton County is stronger, more resilient, and more hopeful because Brenda chose to invest her time, talent, and spirit here.”
Ultimately, over the course of a decade spent at Community Ventures Weaver has held three titles: of President of Housing, President of Lending and finally, President of Western Kentucky Disaster Recovery.
In 2025, knowing that Weaver’s retirement was imminent, Shirie Hawkins transitioned into President of Lending in anticipation of filling the void that Weaver’s departure would leave, with Bart Horne absorbing housing and community development duties under the title of President of Real Estate Development.
“I’ve worked with Brenda since returning to Community Ventures in 2021, and I will truly miss her knowledge and kindness. She provided guidance, always making herself available to answer any questions I had.” Hawkins says. “She has a real gift for seeing the possibilities—both in our projects and in the clients that we serve. I’ve watched her use her many skills to help people become home and business owners and every time, she poured her whole heart into making sure they had the best chance at stability and long-term success. She’s made lives stronger, futures brighter and positioned entire communities for growth.”
Building a Better System
Whether working as a one‑woman business owner, rising to national mortgage banking leadership at Fannie Mae, serving at the Kentucky Housing Corporation or through her varied roles with Community Ventures, Weaver made it her mission to push the housing finance system to work better for the people it was designed to serve. Providing access to lending, homeownership counseling, and tools like HUD programs, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and other resources offered hope and stability for low- and moderate‑income families.
As she steps away from her service at Community Ventures, Weaver leaves behind some impressive accomplishments. In her time leading lending and housing at Community Ventures, she deployed $166,014,100 and oversaw the development of 124 housing units. Since answering the disaster recovery call in Western Kentucky, she led efforts to assist 192 homeowners, developed 20 new housing units in that region alone, and closed nearly $5 million in business and housing loans, including 131 loans in the disaster area. But more than her résumé of accomplishments, she leaves behind lives changed, communities strengthened and a legacy of protocols and policies focused on people, not numbers—all shaped by her steady leadership.
Tragedy Strikes Close to Home
While Weaver acknowledges that much of the allure of retirement is to no longer be tethered to meetings, computers and emails, she also notes that she cannot see a future without service to others as an integral part of it.
When hurricane Helene brought unimaginable suffering to the mountains of North Caroline, it was a tragedy that hit close to home for Weaver. Much of her remaining family lives near West Jefferson, and Weaver owns a secondary home on the New River nearby. In the aftermath of the storm all communication was cut off. What Weaver was able to glean from the internet, the news and social media had her frantically trying to connect with family and friends. When videos and images of her area and her neighbor’s homes and farms finally surfaced, she feared the worst.
When word finally came that all family members were safe and accounted for, she breathed a sigh of relief. And while some of her cousins lost everything, Weaver’s home was spared, giving her family somewhere to land while she and her husband figured out how best to help.
With years of disaster recovery experience under her belt, Weaver knew to stay away initially to allow emergency responders time to triage the situation. She used that time to come up with a game plan and amass supplies, leaving for North Carolina when the time was right. And without being asked, Weaver’s Western Kentucky connections rallied, loading up needed supplies and manpower and heading east to the mountains to ease the suffering there.
Boots On the Ground, Mud Up to Our Knees
“When we first got in, it was heartbreaking to see the reality that my friends, neighbors and family were facing,” Weaver said softly. “We were literally boots on the ground and mud up to our knees for a week, doing physical cleanup.
“Then I realized that hey, for years this is what I’ve done for a living, and I know how to help,” Weaver explained. “So, I began doing what I’ve always done: I spoke to small businesses, nonprofits and the state agencies. I went to the National Guard and asked them to show me where the FEMA office was, so I could help connect those in need. I talked to the people from HUD. My goal was to try to get people in need in need in touch with the right agencies. To help them find grants and get small business loans—all the things necessary for long term recovery.”
Her Helene experience planted a seed for Weaver’s retirement plans—to continue offering assistance as a volunteer. She is excited about helping community groups that came together because of the storm now form nonprofits, and about working closely with her hometown church to continue to meet ongoing needs. And, in a mission close to her heart, Weaver intends to work closely with her alma mater—Berea College—to make sure young people in the Western North Carolina region have the best opportunity for a higher education.
The Final Nudge—From Half a World Away
Although for the past few years Weaver has entertained the idea of retirement, the timing never seemed right until a recent trip to Africa with her husband provided clarity. Struck by the joy they saw on the faces of the villagers that they met, Weaver reflects:
“You know, I don’t think we’ve met any happier people in our lives. Materialistically, they have nothing and yet they were so warm and welcoming. When we got home, it was a striking difference. Here, everyone is so wrapped up in having to have the biggest, best and most expensive. Everyone is busy keeping up with the Joneses.
“So, there was that. But also, we want to do and see more, and we don’t want to make the mistake of waiting too long. We were out early one morning on the savannah, sitting in our safari vehicle observing a pride of lions. I looked over, and in another vehicle were two elderly couples with their guides. They were huddled up in their blankets, sound asleep, oblivious to all the beauty around them,” Weaver shook her head. “We don’t want that to be us. We want to travel while we still can.”
Smith knew the day would come when Weaver would close her laptop and hang up her hard hat for the last time. Thinking back fondly on his years of experiences with Weaver at Community Ventures and before, he reflects:
“Across the many years, I have experienced Brenda as volunteer, consultant, partner, funder, colleague, friend, and trusted confidant. Few farewells weigh on my heart the way this one does. Throughout her remarkable career, she has created more good for more people than most of us could hope to accomplish in two lifetimes. Her impact on the housing and community development industry is beyond measure, and her impact on humanity is simply priceless. Brenda, and her work, will be greatly missed and fondly remembered.”