We All Have Gifts to Share
From our community leaders working with us on the ground in impacted communities, our Board of Directors, to our staff team, and our hundreds of volunteers. We believe that leadership flows from the ground up and that we all have gifts to share in making a difference in our community.
The key role that our team plays in our organization’s success is our ability to develop authentic partnerships with both community members and institutional leaders. On the community side, we listen deeply to stories, engage in generating solutions, and activate leadership to cultivate change for the most pressing issues. We inspire people to harness their voices, ideas, and power for collective action. On the institutional leadership side, we share community-based solutions to address inequities and advocate for policy and systems change. We have built the foundation of deep trust and relationships to foster new community-driven leadership and create unlikely partnerships with institutions that advance health equity in our region.
Leadership
BeLoved Asheville is a trusted, grassroots, and equity-focused organization. With over 15 years of experience in movement building and advocacy for human rights, the organization’s success is credited to the ability to build relationships, create visible change, and generate community-led momentum for collective action.
The impact of our work across affordable housing, health and food equity, and racial healing affirms our community-led approach to strengthen our region.
We are a diverse and inter-generational team with a combined total of 80+ years of community organizing experience rooted in the stories, histories, and lived experiences of our families, neighbors, and ancestors. Our staff is embedded in the community and utilizes our first-hand knowledge to work with the people we serve and support.
Director
Gustavo “Ponkho” Bermejo
Director
Adrienne Sigmon
Director
Amy Cantrell
Director of Equity & Community Engagement
Carmen Ramos-Kennedy
Endorsements
“BeLoved Asheville acts in complex ways…Offering immediate support in the forms of food, medicine, hugs, and laughter…Supporting community members’ income and wealth-building endeavors…and Advocating with people most affected for policies that increase affordable housing (to name a few). What’s more is that their web of actions is made up of relationships and inspires connections that strengthen our community.”
“There is an emerging worldwide movement aimed at providing social and economic justice for everyone. BeLoved Asheville is part of this movement. I deeply admire BeLoved’s tireless efforts toward alleviating social injustice and their unfaltering commitment to the betterment of our local community and humanity at large.”
“BeLoved Asheville is a grassroots organization that truly shows up for the people who need help. No questions asked, they give, and give, and give. Great organization that I wholeheartedly support.”
“BeLoved represents what Community means. They are able to touch so many lives on a daily basis and bring the community together. As President of the oldest African American Neighborhood East End Valley Street, I support BeLoved’s work that centers racial and economic equity in Western North Carolina”
I have known this organization down through the years and have interacted with them on numerous projects for the good of Asheville. They do what they say, they are highly visible, always a smile on their faces. Their racial equity and healing work is powerful, especially their arts and cultural work with youth. If there is an organization that I trust and love, they are one of my favorites. This effort is a true gift to our community.