Knepp named new Berkeley Habitat Executive Director | News | Berkeley Independent

Printer friendly version |

E-mail to a friend |

Knepp named new Berkeley Habitat Executive Director

Published Tuesday, February 07, 2012 9:14 AM

By Dan Brown
Berkeley Independent

Photo by: Dan Brown/Independent

Bryant Knepp was recently named Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Berkeley County.

There’s been a quiet changing of the guard at the Berkeley County Habitat for Humanity offices.

Longtime executive directors Tom and Bonnie Chamberlin retired in 2011 after 11 years of service, and Bryant Knepp, a nine-year Habitat for Humanity veteran hailing from Florida and Michigan, has taken the reins.

Married and the father of three, Knepp joined Habitat in July, 2011 and has been involved in staff positions with Habitat affiliates for the last nine years in Florida and Michigan. Originally from southwestern Indiana, Knepp has a residential construction and Christian mission’s background.

“Habitat for Humanity helps build success stories for area families,” Knepp said. “I want to continue the legacy started by the Chamberlins and continue to serve the families in need throughout Berkeley County.”

Knepp considers himself a student of the HFH model. He has embraced the organization’s original mission and purpose while gleaning the best practices of different affiliates over the years. “We want to build on our capacity here,” he said. “At the end of the day we want to serve more people.”

Knepp added in order to do that his office needs to grow.

“Of the 25 home projects we currently have in work across Berkeley County, only one of them is in the Goose Creek area,” he said. “We want to grow into other communities and offer complete services in all parts of Berkeley County.”

Knepp’s desire is to assist in carrying out the affiliate’s tradition of serving volunteers, donors, and partner families alike in meaningful ways here in Berkeley County. “Our organization has only been active here for 21 years,” he said. “There is still a lot of work to be done.”

Knepp says what makes his day special is working with the many area volunteers that step up to donate time and services.

“Volunteering is a two-way street,” he said. “It’s our job to provide volunteers with a meaningful and worthwhile experience. If we can do that then they’ll come back and volunteer again. We are nothing without our volunteers and we can’t say ‘Thank you’ enough to those who have helped out over the years.”

The key, Knepp says, to a successful organization is utilizing the volunteers in your own backyard. “It’s a community project ultimately,” he said. “We use local resources for our homes and local volunteers. It’s all about giving back to the community.”

Comments

Notice about comments:

Berkeleyind.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Berkeleyind.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not Berkeleyind.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.

Users can now build user-to-user connections, follow friends' recent posts, add an avatar that fits their personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again, or if you've never posted before, start now by reading our terms and conditions, and then signing up below!

Full terms and conditions can be read here.

Most Viewed
Most Commented

104 East Doty Avenue | Summerville, SC 29483 | 843-572-0511 office