Carrboro nonprofit founder takes home national award for efforts to empower women

The founder of a Carrboro nonprofit is back in the national spotlight for her ongoing efforts to make construction work more equitable.

Last week Nora El-Khouri Spencer, founder of Hope Renovations, was named Woman of the Year by the National Association of Home Builders at their annual conference in Las Vegas.

Spencer created Hope Renovations in June 2020. Frustrated by the gender gap in the construction industry, she decided to offer free training for women and nonbinary individuals to learn construction and professional skills. This way, they can land a well-paying job or apprenticeship in construction or pursue further training.

“I got mad that I never saw women doing it, and also that it was never presented to me as an opportunity,” Spencer told The News & Observer in July. “Why was this not something that I ever knew about? And I think that made me realize the change that I could be a part of help bringing about.”

Hope Renovations’ 12-week training course teaches core construction skills, such as blueprint reading, construction math, safety and basic carpentry, while also training participants in networking, resume and cover letter writing, communication skills, conflict resolution and more.

Trainees can then move on to Construction 101, which teaches the basics of all the major construction trades, from carpentry and electrical work to plumbing and roofing.

“What we have found is overwhelmingly, women and nonbinary folks — they are dying to get these opportunities and to access these great-paying jobs and figure out how to get into this industry,” Spencer told The N&O in July. “I think my job in the community is to elevate their voices, and to make sure that they’re heard and to make sure that our employers and our community partners know that these folks are here and they want to do this work. And we got to help them get there.”

In addition to equalizing the gender make up of her industry, Spencer has also made it her mission to enable senior citizens and adults with disabilities to “stay in their homes comfortably and safely as they age,”

As part of students’ on-the-job training, they frequently hone their skills by repairing the homes of elderly and disabled people.

Spencer’s latest award is the most recent in a line of ongoing recognition for her work.

In November, Spencer was named a finalist in the annual CNN Hero contest, making her organization eligible for the $100,000 grand prize. Although she did not win, she was featured on CNN’s finale program and took home $10,000 in prize money.

“It was very unexpected,” Spencer said in November. “It’s really humbling.”

In a Facebook post from last week, Hope Renovations celebrated Spencer’s accomplishments.

“At Hope, we believe that if you see it, you can be it, and we’re so happy to have another opportunity to tell the world about the equitable, inclusive tradesworld we envision,” the post said.