Ashley A. Hines, Executive Director
Benton Harbor Community Development Corp.

“My work is important to me because it empowers people to leverage their collective power to create necessary community change. I believe in the power of community, connection, and collaboration and the BHCDC is a vessel uplifting those values in order to combat systemic issues that plague our community and communities like ours.”

Ashley Hines is a project manager, change agent, and community visionary with a passion for innovative system building and advocacy for Black communities. An alumni of Morgan State University, a Historically Black College and University, Hines spent a decade working on nationally important civic engagement, community development and food systems projects in the Baltimore and Washington D.C. area.  In 2020 she returned to her hometown to launch Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation. To achieve the shared vision of a thriving community, BHCDC facilitates people-centered and community-led programming in the areas of homebuying education, food sovereignty, mental health, social cohesion, and community development.  Whether it’s curating experiences that center Black people or striving to work with communities to build systems against systemic racism, Hines’ work continues to be a love letter to Black people; honoring, highlighting, and preserving Black culture and community.