Dawn DeHart

Dawn joined Carter Bank and Trust in March 2017 as Senior Vice President and Director of Community Development Lending.  Dawn’s role with the organization is to develop and implement a company-wide community impact lending strategy and to originate commercial loans meeting a community impact mission in Virginia and North Carolina. She works with small business owners, economic development and government officials, housing authorities, and for profit and non profit real estate developers.  Dawn has expertise in small business government guaranteed loan programs and in historic, low income housing, and New Markets tax credit programs as well as various business and entrepreneurial grant programs through the Department of Housing and Community Development.  Dawn collaborates closely with the Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act officer to help direct commercial lending activities into targeted areas. 

Dawn has worked in the banking/finance sector for over 30 years and has worked for several regional and national banks in the retail, credit administration, and business development divisions.  Prior to joining Carter Bank in 2017, Dawn spent 10 ½ years as a commercial lender with Virginia Community Capital (a Community Development Financial Institution), and 9 years as a lender covering Southwest Virginia with Business Finance Group, an SBA 504 lender based in Fairfax, VA. 

Dawn serves as an advisory board member on The Launch Place Seed Fund board in Danville, VA, is a board member for Community Affordable Housing Equity Corporation (CAHEC) Capital based in Raleigh, NC, and is an advisory board member of the Danville Virginia CDE (a New Markets Tax Credit allocatee).  She participates regularly in entrepreneurial initiatives as a reviewer and judge of business plan boot camp competitions in rural communities, many of which are often funded through state grant programs.  

She holds a Finance degree from Virginia Tech and lives in Bedford County, VA.