Greenville Housing Fund appoints Deborah McKetty interim CEO

The Greenville Housing Fund has appointed Deborah McKetty as interim CEO, marking the return of the leader who helped create the organization nearly two decades ago.

McKetty brings 35 years of strategic leadership in community economic development to the job. Most recently serving as president of the South Carolina Community Loan Fund before her retirement, she steps back into service with an objective of positioning GHF for continued impact while the organization conducts a national search for a permanent CEO, according to a news release.

Former CEO Bryan Brown left the organization to join NeighborWorks America.

“Deborah doesn’t just understand affordable housing policy, she’s built the infrastructure that makes it work,” Jimmy Kimbell, chair of the GHF Board of Directors, said in the release. “Her fingerprints are on nearly every major housing initiative in this region. Having her lead us through this transition isn’t just strategic, it’s transformational.”

In 2005, the Greenville native led a groundbreaking affordable housing study through United Way of Greenville County that identified critical market gaps and directly resulted in the creation of GHF. As its founding CEO, she expanded the organization’s mission and evolved its business model, ultimately spinning off CommunityWorks Carolina in 2012, the release stated. In 2018, she was instrumental in a collaborative effort among city and county leaders, private and nonprofit developers, and community stakeholders that would later lead to the launch of GHF as an independent entity focused exclusively on housing.

During her tenure at SCCLF, McKetty helped strengthen the organization’s statewide impact and played a key role in establishing the Gap Financing and the Housing Our Future Trust Fund in partnership with Charleston County, deploying and mobilizing more than $30 million to support more than 800 affordable and workforce housing units to date, according to the release. Under her leadership, SCCLF also secured more than $125 million in New Markets Tax Credit allocations to invest in community projects across South Carolina.

Her leadership portfolio includes the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond Community Investment Council, Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta, Self-Help Credit Union Board, SC Community Capital Alliance, SC Association for Community Economic Development, Hollingsworth Funds, United Way of Greenville County, Greenville Chamber Board of Advisors, Greenville County Schools Foundation Board, Urban League of the Upstate, Greenville Community Foundation Board, and the Greenville Professional Women’s Forum.

McKetty’s contributions have earned widespread recognition, including the Greenville Chamber ATHENA Women’s Leadership Award (2018) and induction into Greenville Business Magazine’s “50 Most Influential Hall of Fame” (2023). She has also received the Greenville Women Making History Award, United Way Spirit Award for Nonprofit Leadership, and the Greenville Chamber Max Heller Neighborhood Improvement Award, and is a graduate of Furman University’s Diversity Leadership Institute.

She holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Texas Southern University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Carolina.

“As Interim CEO, my focus is ensuring stability, strengthening partnerships, and maintaining momentum on GHF’s active project pipeline,” McKetty said in the release. “Greenville has critical housing initiatives underway, and my role is to support the organization while positioning it for long-term success under its next permanent leader.”

McKetty assumes leadership responsibilities effective Jan. 5, and will work closely with the board to identify GHF’s next permanent CEO, the release stated.