CARRBORO, N.C. -- After a national search, Town Manager Richard J. White III has selected Anne-Marie Vanaman as director of the Housing & Community Services Department.
“Anne-Marie’s local affordable housing experience combined with her extensive nonprofit background and knowledge of the community make her ideal for this role,” Town Manager White said. “She brings value to our organization through her teamwork, collaboration, and resident-focused orientation.”
Vanaman joined the Town of Carrboro in 2018 and has served in the role of interim director of the Housing & Community Services Department since September 2022. Previously, she supported advancing the Town’s affordable housing goals first in the Town Manager’s Office, and later as a coordinator for the Housing & Community Services Department.
In her more than 20-year non-profit and local government career, Vanaman has held a variety of roles -- including 10 years as development director for Habitat for Humanity of Orange County. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from UNC-Greensboro and a bachelor’s degree in English from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Some of her career accomplishments include the successful completion of two capital campaigns that supported the development of two new affordable housing communities in Orange County. At the Town, she worked to increase accountability in Carrboro’s human services nonprofit funding program by strengthening reporting requirements and data collection. Additionally, she led the racial equity assessment of Carrboro’s Affordable Housing Special Revenue Fund and, in collaboration with the Town of Chapel Hill, of the Outside Agencies/Human Services funding program, implementing recommended short- and long-term changes in both programs.
“I look forward to continuing the important work to advance the Town’s affordable housing goals and to help provide safe and affordable housing for all residents.,” Vanaman said. “This work and the collaborative relationships with community partners and peers required to do it well are extremely rewarding, and I’m delighted to be able to contribute toward improving and enriching the lives of all community members.”
