Meet Our Board--Kim McGuire
Kim McGuire is the founder of Thrive Asheville and Board Chairperson.
Can you offer a reflection on how far Thrive has come in 4 years?
We launched Thrive Asheville in response to concerns about how Asheville is growing and changing – and to help shape what kind of community we will be in the future. We want to move from being in reactive mode to being proactive about how we deal with some of the biggest issues facing our city and county. Here are a few updates:
- We adopted a structure for convening diverse multi-sector leaders, learning together about community problems, identifying solutions, then taking positive action to implement solutions.
- This approach is being applied to the two top issues we are working on: affordable housing (Landlord Tenant Partnership and Buncombe Rental Assistance Collaboration) and sustainable tourism.
- Thrive’s housing work has so far helped 40 families living in poverty move into stable neighborhoods - by recruiting landlords and providing market rate stipends and insurance indemnification. We have funding to support a total of 150 of these “moves to opportunity” in the coming two years.
- In the tourism area, a training program is being developed for BIPOC* entrepreneurs to enter the tourism industry. We are looking at how “destination stewardship” could help Asheville identify the impacts of tourist visitation and balance that with the needs of residents.
Thrive is committed to understanding and addressing where Asheville and Buncombe County are heading, with a board of 12 community leaders from diverse perspectives, and a talented staff who are knowledgeable about community change-making.
What are you learning about what the community needs after 4 years of this work?
The pace of change is increasing and our challenges are becoming more complex. Like many places, Asheville has lots of promising projects and programs that sometimes operate in silos. No single sector – government, nonprofit, or business -- has the knowledge or resources required to address our community’s pressing problems. The smart thinkers and policy leaders in our city, nation and world say that the future calls for collaboration, working together in new ways. This takes lots of time and must be built upon trust. It is how Thrive and our partners will help create an equitable and resilient Asheville for the future.
What do you see that Asheville needs to be a more equitable and resilient community in the future? How will Thrive's work support those needs?
Asheville’s future needs to be defined by the whole community. One key role Thrive plays is to intentionally include a range of participants and partner organizations in our work to improve affordable housing and tourism – representing different work sectors, different neighborhoods, and different backgrounds. When Thrive looks for solutions, we prioritize those that make life better for people and assets that have been marginalized.
What are some things you would like people to know about Thrive?
Successful cities have organizations like Thrive, that look beyond immediate needs to understand bigger implications and impacts, and plan for the future accordingly. We are not a town anymore. We are a city of 94,000 people which has grown by a third since 2000; our metro population is 366,000. Many people are visiting and moving here because of our natural beauty, lively downtown, arts and food culture. We need local folks and newcomers alike to put a value on our special place and help support Thrive’s work. We can either have rapid change overtake us or we can enhance our community as a place where all people can thrive.