In our 40-year history, we have helped over 1700 families and inspired countless volunteers to commit to our mission. Of those volunteers, there have been some notable standouts who became ambassadors for our mission.
Names like President Jimmy Carter, who has remained a champion of Habitat throughout his life to the more recent financial guru Clark Howard, have used their celebrity to elevate the work that we do throughout Atlanta.
Each year we have a chance to meet new people who want to use their platforms to spread our affordable housing mission.
For our 40th anniversary, HGTV’s Luxe for Less star Michel Smith Boyd and Head Coach for the Atlanta Dream, Tanisha Wright have stepped into the role.
Raised in a housing project of Pittsburgh, PA, Tanisha recalls always having an attraction to housing and homeownership.
Wright was a standout basketball player in high and went on to play basketball for the Nittany Lions at Penn State. She was drafted by the Seattle Storm in the first round of the 2005 WNBA Draft and went on to play 14 WNBA seasons with three professional teams: Seattle Storm, New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx. In 2022, Wright became the fifth head coach to lead the Atlanta Dream franchise.
When Tanisha was drafted in the WNBA, she was finally able to make that dream a reality but found a fascination in “turning ugly homes into something new and beautiful.” Rather than investing in a dream home, she decided to find and flip a fixer-upper.
Though it was hard work, when she was finished flipping the home, she also discovered a passion for the work.
As a real estate investor, Tanisha brings extensive knowledge in the homeowner space. This year she spoke on our panel at VGA Boss Talk, which kicks off our Launch! entrepreneurial series.
“The opportunity to share my experiences as a business owner on the Boss Talk panel was an honor,” said Wright. “I never take for granted having a chance to show up, tell my story, and be a great representation of what is possible in life. In telling my story, my hope is to inspire other women and show them homeownership is not only possible, but attainable.”
As the head basketball coach, Wright is responsible for fostering the growth of the Atlanta Dream’s players and establishing a culture of integrity and accountability.
Wright is an advocate for financial and economic empowerment, combating homelessness and housing insecurity, and bolstering causes that support binuclear family relations, guardianship, and extended caregivers.
“I know what it’s like to grow up longing for a home to call my own – it’s a reality I was only able to realize as an adult,” said Wright. “I’m on a mission to inspire and empower women to pursue their passions and achieve the dream of home ownership for their families.”
