Melissa Moore
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (Jan. 17, 2019) – Housing for All – Mount Pleasant, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to fostering attainable housing efforts in South Carolina’s fourth-largest municipality, is pleased to announce two executive hires to meet the needs of a quickly growing Lowcountry population.
Melissa Moore has been named the group’s Director of Operations, while Wendy Bauerschmidt has been tapped as Director of Development. The pair will join, and be supported by, an all-volunteer board.
Melissa Moore, Director of Operations
A native of the Mount Pleasant Old Village, Moore earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from College of Charleston before joining the Alliance for Full Acceptance in 2005. She subsequently became a field director for SC Equality and then moved on to interim director, where she worked on public policy and community engagement. Since 2010, Moore has served as Executive Director of We Are Family, the only organization in SC focused on the needs of LGBTQ+ and straight ally youth. Through her work with We Are Family, Melissa partnered with the Riley Center for Livable Communities, conducting Charleston County’s first study of youth housing instability and food insecurity, and the City of Charleston, developing a day resource center for people experiencing homelessness. She will ensure that Housing for All - Mount Pleasant complies with federal and state regulations while managing financials, fundraising and outreach opportunities.
Wendy Bauerschmidt, Director of Development
Wendy brings more than 25 years of domestic and international experience in property acquisitions, asset management, land development and entitlements. She oversaw land acquisition and entitlements for 1,200 residential units, acquisition of $350 million of commercial properties and over $1 billion of distressed mortgage debt.
Wendy’s career began with the predecessors to JP Morgan Chase, Cedar Realty Trust and Deloitte Consulting. Most recently, she served as a partner in DRG Development Consulting and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the College of Charleston, where she teaches Real Estate in the Community Planning, Policy and Design Program. Wendy also serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Health Leaders Network, a cross-functional group of professionals from across the country dedicated to promoting health in the built environment. Bauerschmidt’s day-to-day responsibilities with Housing for All – Mount Pleasant will include project development, fundraising, land acquisition and entitlements.
“With average monthly rent exceeding $1,400 and median home prices skyrocketing, living in Mount Pleasant is often completely out of reach for the town’s teachers, firefighters, seniors, young professionals, and even families that have lived there for generations,” said Housing for All – Mount Pleasant board of directors chairman Benjy Cooke. “We’re delighted to welcome Melissa and Wendy, who together bring more than 35 years of relevant experience and leadership to our efforts to make attainable housing a reality in Mount Pleasant.”
Housing for All – Mount Pleasant will address the town’s attainable housing issue, which is a growing crisis across the region, through public advocacy, fundraising, partnerships with the private sector, grant acquisition and more.
As a start, through Thursday, January 31, online donations to Housing for All – Mount Pleasant will be matched via Donate2It, a new crowdfunding platform focusing on Lowcountry causes. Contributions up to $10,000 will be matched and support attainable housing efforts in Mount Pleasant.
Housing for All – Mount Pleasant was born out of a Town-established task force on affordable housing. It received 501(c)(3) designation in late 2018.
“The Town of Mount Pleasant is glad to see what was our Task Force become an independent non-profit that can work to find the best paths forward for affordable housing,” said Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie. “The $50,000 seed money the town invested in the organization will hopefully result in the type of problem solving we all aim for.”
Proposed new residential construction related to attainable housing is subject to Town planning, zoning and permitting processes.
For more information or to connect with Housing for All – Mount Pleasant, email info@housingforallmtp.com.
ABOUT HOUSING FOR ALL – MOUNT PLEASANT
Through fundraising, advocacy and awareness building, Housing for All – Mount Pleasant, a registered 501(c)(3) organization, seeks to create, encourage and support the development of attainable housing for those who work, live, or hope to live, in Mount Pleasant. For more information and to get involved, visit www.housingforallmtp.com or follow on Facebook.
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