Hope Renovations Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Nora El-Khouri Spencer is a Licensed General Contractor, a Social Worker, a consultant, a speaker, and a fierce champion of women’s empowerment in the spaces where they are missing. She is Founder and CEO of Hope Renovations, a nonprofit with a dual mission: to empower underemployed women and gender-expansive folks into careers in construction while helping older adults stay in their homes their whole lives. After a 15-year career in corporate human resources, Nora, a self-taught remodeler, decided to switch directions to pursue a Master of Social Work from UNC Chapel Hill with a focus on social entrepreneurship. In Summer 2020, Nora combined her passion for women’s workforce development, her interest in preserving housing for older adults, and her love for construction to launch Hope Renovations. She has received multiple honors for her work, including being named One of AdWeek’s Most Influential SMB Marketers in 2024, National Association of Home Builders’ Woman of the Year in 2023, and a Top Ten CNN Hero in 2022. She speaks about gender equity in the trades and the importance of supporting Aging-in-Place throughout the country. Besides being completely obsessed with her toddler Isaac, she is also an avid UNC Tar Heels and LA Dodgers fan, a Master Gardener, a crazy cat lady, and a beach addict. She lives in Chapel Hill with her husband Brian.