Since Hope Renovations was founded in 2019, Nora El-Khouri Spencer and the nonprofit have received a lot of recognition for their work in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Last week, however, that recognition arguably reached a new high.

At its annual International Builders Show and National Awards Gala in Las Vegas, the National Association of Home Builders announced its selection of Spencer as the Woman of the Year on Tuesday. The award is given to a woman in the resident construction industry for their “extraordinary contributions advocating for the advancement of women in the profession.” It is the NAHB’s highest level of recognition of women and their accomplishments in the industry, according to the trade association.

“This respected individual demonstrates good business acumen, serves as a role model for excellence in leadership and embodies purpose and vision,” reads the description for Woman of the Year on NAHB’s website.

Spencer’s training in home-building was self-taught and she founded Hope Renovations to create space and resources for women to get started in the trades industry. The program offers wide-ranging training to prepare people for jobs with local construction employers, apprenticeships, or the next level of trade education.

“[Women] are not taught this stuff the way that boys are when we’re young,” Spencer told 97.9 The Hill in 2021. “And a lot of women when they become adults…having the opportunity to go back and figuring out how to go back and get that education seems really far off for them. So, I decided I would create what does not exist.”

The NAHB Woman of the Year honor is not the only national recognition Spencer has received this past year for her efforts. Last May, she was named a 2022 CNN Hero by the television network for Hope Renovations’ work and vision. Spencer then was dubbed one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2022, which included being highlighted in a national telecast in December.

More information about Hope Renovations in Carrboro can be found on the nonprofit’s website, while the full list of honorees at the NAHB’s National Awards Gala can be found here.

 

Photo via Hope Renovations/National Association of Home Builders.

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