Dewana Little joins Self-Help Credit Union’s WNC staff

Press release:

Dewana Little Joins Self-Help Credit Union’s WNC Staff

Asheville, NC – Self-Help Credit Union today announced that Dewana Little has joined its WNC Regional Branch staff. Dewana will be assuming a new position of Marketing and Administrative Associate, with responsibilities in marketing and community outreach, as well as collaborative work with local partners in economic development.

Dewana, a third generation Asheville native, comes to Self-Help after four years at Asheville GreenWorks as the Water Quality Educator and Community Engagement Coordinator. At GreenWorks, Dewana developed and managed the Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP), a paid internship for low-wealth youth. Under her guidance, YELP has grown from a five-intern summer program to 20 interns year round. Dewana also has been a key advocate for recycling access for low-income communities, helping implement recycling in five Asheville public housing developments. In addition, she co-chairs the Green Opportunities Board of Directors and co-founded Positive Changes Youth Ministries, which annually takes local students on tours of colleges and universities with a particular focus on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Dewana says, “I am passionate about strengthening and empowering the marginalized communities of Asheville and Buncombe County. My vision is for this city to become a model for the nation of what ‘equity and inclusion,’ more specifically ‘racial equity and inclusion’, looks like, in every category.”

As for working at Self-Help, Dewana commented, “Self-Help’s mission speaks to my passion for community development and helping ‘underserved’ communities. This position will enable me to view some of the issues, efforts, and opportunities through an economic lens, strengthen existing relationships, and develop new ones to support the vision. I will be gaining new skills, while expanding on existing ones to further empower local communities.”

“We could not be more excited to have Dewana join our work in Western North Carolina, said Jane Hatley, Self-Help’s WNC Regional Director. “I have seen Dewana’s leadership firsthand, and I have been consistently impressed with her passion, vision and articulateness. She is a powerful and effective community leader and we are fortunate she has decided to bring her skills and experience to our work of ‘creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all.’”

About Self-Help Credit Union
Self-Help, a community development credit union and lender headquartered in Durham, NC has provided over $7 billion in financing to 112,000 families, individuals and businesses underserved by traditional financial institutions. It helps drive economic development and strengthen communities by financing homebuyers, nonprofits, childcare centers, community health facilities, public charter schools, and residential and commercial real estate projects. Self-Help Credit Union, serving over 58,000 members across North Carolina, and Self-Help Federal Credit Union, serving over 62,000 members in California, Chicago and central Florida, provide a full range of financial products and services. Learn more at www.self-help.org.

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About Dan Hesse
I grew up outside of Atlanta and moved to WNC in 2001 to attend Montreat College. After college, I worked at NewsRadio 570 WWNC as an anchor/reporter and covered Asheville City Council and the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners starting in 2004. During that time I also completed WCU's Master of Public Administration program. You can reach me at dhesse@mountainx.com.

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