Haywood Community College Welcomes Hylah Birenbaum as Executive Director of the Foundation
Photo by Vicki Hyatt. Haywood Community College is pleased to announce Hylah Birenbaum as the new Executive Director of the College’s Foundation on October 1. Birenbaum serves on numerous local boards.
Haywood Community College is pleased to announce Hylah Birenbaum as the new Executive Director of the College’s Foundation on October 1. Birenbaum has called Waynesville home for more than 25 years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in finance from American University in Washington, DC. She comes to HCC from Smoky Mountain News where she served as editor-in-chief for Smoky Mountain Living magazine and Blue Ridge Motorcycling magazine. She also worked for USA Today and owned and operated a bed-and-breakfast in Waynesville for 10 years.
"The Foundation Board is excited to welcome Hylah to the position of executive director,” says Jon Overbay, HCC Foundation Board Chair. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from her work with numerous other charitable foundations. She approaches the position with an unbridled enthusiasm that is contagious. Hylah's leadership enables the Board to strengthen and expand its financial support of the students, faculty and staff of Haywood Community College. We are thrilled to have her on board."
Haywood Community College Foundation creates relationships that empower people through education. It assists the college to secure the necessary and timely financial support unavailable through its traditional public funding source. In order to fulfill its mission, the HCC Foundation provides funds and fosters relationships to support students, faculty, programs, and capital improvements.
Birenbaum has extensive experience with non-profits and community boards. She is vice president of Haywood County Friends of the Library. She served as president for four years of the Haywood County Schools Foundation and is currently a board member. In addition, Birenbaum is a board member of the Haywood Healthcare Foundation. She also served on the North Carolina Arboretum Society Board for three years. She has two sons, Evan and Chace, plus two dogs and two cats. She enjoys running, hiking and gardening.