Victoria Hewlett is an Investment Associate at Invest Appalachia. Victoria was born in Elizabethton, Tennessee, and now lives in neighboring Johnson City with her husband and their two kids. Her professional background is rooted in lived experience with economic struggle and a deep-seated dedication to the people of Appalachia–particularly those who have been left behind the most by extractive business and economic development practices.
Before joining Invest Appalachia, Victoria spent over a decade as a community organizer, non-profit professional, fundraiser and grant professional in her home region of Northeast Tennessee. During that time, she directed the growth of a community-based non-profit financial coaching and affordable lending program, helped inject millions of federal dollars into higher education to support low-income, rural and minority community college students, and launched a grassroots mutual aid network that has reached over 2,000 individuals through free stores, grocery deliveries, needs/resources forums and community events. Victoria has researched and practiced innovative and visionary approaches to community & economic development in Central Appalachia through numerous leadership roles and in multiple sectors, including community finance, local food systems, civics, education, and arts & culture.
Victoria serves on the Leadership Council of the STRONG Accountable Care Community and the Quiltmaker Committee of the Tri-Cities TN/VA Mutual Aid Network. She is finalizing a master’s degree in Appalachian Studies from East Tennessee State University in Spring 2025. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Ethics, Politics & Economics from Yale University and in Sociology & Speech Communication from Northeast State Community College.
“I believe wholeheartedly that the social and economic problems facing the Appalachian region can be transformed through the kind of community-based collaboration and financial imagination that inspires the work of Invest Appalachia and our partners.”
