Executive Director

Hayti Promise Community Development Corporation (“Hayti Promise”) seeks its first full-time Executive Director to lead the economic and historic revitalization of Durham’s historic Hayti district and the surrounding neighborhoods along the Fayetteville Street Corridor. This is a chance for an entrepreneurial, community-centered leader to help restore a historically significant neighborhood as a thriving cultural and business destination, shaped by the priorities of the people who call it home.

Backed by an initial $10 million commitment from the City of Durham, Hayti Promise has laid the groundwork for revitalization. The Executive Director will strengthen the organization’s operational capacity, turn its plans into results, and build the philanthropic and private support needed to sustain Hayti Promise as an independent nonprofit beyond its initial public funding. 

In 2022, at the request of local stakeholders, the Hayti Heritage Center hosted an Urban Land Institute (ULI) advisory panel on the redevelopment of the Fayetteville Street Corridor. The corridor is the backbone of the historic Hayti district, one of several historically Black neighborhoods in south central Durham, and a once-thriving cultural and business district disrupted by federal urban renewal policy in the late 1950s. ULI recommended “the establishment of a community-led organizing entity . . . to exclusively represent the area’s priorities related to redevelopment of the . . . corridor.”

Hayti Promise was established in response in 2023 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. In 2024, the City of Durham committed $10 million in multi-year American Rescue Plan Act funding to establish the organization and support residential and neighborhood commercial real estate development, business innovation, and public space improvements (the City’s Fayetteville Street Corridor Project).

Mission: Hayti Promise is the catalyst for building a vibrant future of inclusive growth, innovation, and opportunity that inspires and sustains generations to come through economic development, community empowerment, and cultural preservation of the Fayetteville Street Corridor.

Vision: Durham’s Fayetteville Street Corridor is a thriving district, cultural destination, and commercial hub reflecting the spirit and heritage of Historic Hayti with opportunities for true upward mobility.

Hayti Promise’s strategic plan focuses on three priorities:

• Placekeeping: a safe, welcoming environment that honors Hayti’s cultural heritage.
• Real Estate Stewardship: affordable, inclusive development and neighborhood stability.

• Business Development: supporting existing businesses, attracting new investment, and creating opportunities for entrepreneurship.

  Hayti Promise is governed by a nine-member volunteer Board of Directors made up of residents and civic and business leaders, including individuals with deep generational ties to Hayti. Board members serve overlapping, renewable two-year terms and are actively involved in governance, strategic decision-making, and financial and legal oversight. The anticipated annual operating budget is approximately $1 million. Partners include the City of Durham, Preservation Durham, The Banks Law Firm, Central Pines Regional Council, Conservation Corps North Carolina, the W.G. Pearson Center, PlaceEconomics, and HOPE Crew.

  The Position

The successful candidate will be a self-starter and a strategic, collaborative, action-oriented leader who builds consensus around short- and long-term community benefits. They will bring a deep appreciation for Hayti’s cultural and historical significance and an understanding of the lasting impacts of urban renewal. They will lead with humility and empathy, make community members feel heard even when perspectives differ, and build trust among residents, property owners, businesses, and organizations with sometimes competing interests, balancing patience and diplomacy with the drive to keep the work moving.

Hayti grew after the Civil War into one of the most prominent Black communities in the South, with its own churches, schools, businesses, and civic life centered on Fayetteville Street. Urban renewal and the construction of the Durham Freeway (NC 147) later displaced many residents and businesses, but anchors such as the Hayti Heritage Center, housed in the historic St. Joseph’s AME Church, remain. Today the corridor links downtown Durham with North Carolina Central University, among the nation’s top-rated HBCUs, and is surrounded by neighborhoods including Southside/St. Teresa, Edgemont, and Burton Park, with Durham Technical Community College’s main campus nearby.

Durham, a city of about 300,000 and one corner of the Research Triangle, is also home to Duke University and is known for biotechnology, life sciences, and health care, a celebrated food scene, and easy access to both the mountains and the beach.

The Executive Director will be responsible for the following:

Leadership and Strategy

• Work with the Board and partners to set and realize a unified vision for Hayti and the Fayetteville Street Corridor.
• Carry out the strategic plan, establishing clear priorities, timelines, and accountability for each deliverable.
• Define evaluation metrics and outcomes to measure Hayti Promise’s success.
• Design inclusive, equitable initiatives that serve the whole community and bring new ideas and resources to the corridor. 

Community and Partner Relationships

• Maintain and strengthen relationships with City leaders, universities, businesses, faith-based institutions, neighborhood organizations, investors, and funders.
• Serve as a visible, accessible presence that builds trust with longtime residents, homeowners, and business owners.
• Create ways for community members to give feedback, and use it to evaluate the organization’s work.
• Clearly communicate Hayti Promise’s mission, priorities, and accomplishments.

Fundraising and Financial Sustainability

• Develop and carry out a fundraising strategy that diversifies revenue beyond initial public funding, supported by multiyear funding plans and projections.
• Cultivate and secure support from foundations, corporations, individual donors, and institutional partners across Durham and the Triangle.
• Engage Board members’ relationships and networks in fundraising.

Operations

• Prepare an annual plan and operating budget for Board approval, and act on plans the Board adopts.
• Direct contractors and staff, ensuring projects are delivered on time.
• Build the systems, policies, and procedures needed for growth, accountability, and sound financial management.

The ideal candidate will share Hayti Promise’s commitment to community-led revitalization and bring most of the following:

• At least five years of significant experience in community or economic development, real estate development, community organizing, public administration, nonprofit leadership, or a related field.
• Knowledge of community-based revitalization and public policy, including historic preservation, construction, urban planning, or neighborhood commercial development.
• Understanding of the history of Hayti and its surrounding communities and the challenges facing their residents and property owners.
• Proven success building coalitions and trusting relationships across diverse stakeholder groups, with strong social and cultural competency.
• Demonstrated fundraising success with foundations, corporations, individual donors, and other funders.
• Experience with financial management, budgeting, and oversight of operations, projects, and contractors.
• A track record of setting goals, meeting deadlines, and delivering measurable results, with a reputation for integrity, transparency, and accountability.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to listen thoughtfully and engage a wide range of audiences.
• Established connections in Durham or the greater Triangle are an advantage.
• Must live in Durham or be willing to relocate to the City of Durham.

Hayti Promise is committed to attracting an extraordinary leader for this position through competitive compensation in the range of $120,000 – $130,000. The Board of Directors is currently developing a benefits package for the organization’s first full-time Executive Director. The successful candidate will have an opportunity to provide input and make recommendations as the organization establishes and refines its employee benefits and personnel policies. 

Hayti Promise is an equal opportunity employer. It does not discriminate in any employment practice on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, or status with regard to public assistance.

To Apply: Please submit a cover letter and resume by November 29, 2026, by applying here. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. 

Questions: HPsearch@mossandross.com

Hayti Promise Community Development Corporation

600 East Umstead Street, Room 206

Durham, NC 27701

https://haytipromisecdc.org