Our Story
Working at the intersection of venture philanthropy and trust-based principles, we seek out visionary nonprofit leaders whose ingenuity have the potential to generate game-changing impact.
This work often involves uncertainty. We embrace that reality with our partners, learning and adapting as their organizations evolve. Over more than two decades, Reemprise has built a reputation as a deeply involved, collaborative partner to nonprofit leaders across Charlotte.
Our History
Reemprise Fund was started by Robert E. Elberson, a leading executive for Hanes and the driver behind L'eggs pantyhose, upon his retirement in 2005. His initials, REE, combined with the word "enterprise", became Reemprise, and his son, Charlie, was appointed as primary trustee. His vision for the fund was simple: strive for game-changing impact.
From the beginning, Reemprise funded visionary organizations with potentially game-changing ideas. An early example was seeding the idea of providing adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity, through creating art, to pursue new avenues for expression and earn their own money doing something they loved. At the time, it was a revolutionary idea and the program exploded, transforming the organization along with the individual adults. It also transformed Charlie. Hundreds of partnerships later, Reemprise remains rooted in REE’s original vision.
Meet the Team
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Charlie Elberson
Founder, Chief Visionary, Board Chair
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Chrystal Joy
Board Member, Treasurer
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Sam Smith, Jr.
Board Member, Secretary
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Kelly Brooks
Managing Director
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Diane Gavarkavich
Director of Evaluation & Learning
Our Values
We are governed by our values both in how we approach opportunities as well as how we nurture our relationships.
Curious and open-minded. We are as passionate about the learning and discovery as the service.
Entrepreneurial and risk-tolerant. We see opportunity in the uncertainty of new ideas.
Empathetic. We lead with curiosity, actively listen, and try to put ourselves in the shoes of our partners.
Engaged and involved. We believe involvement is the ultimate game-changer, standing with our partners at each step.
Depth over breadth. We are hyper-focused on quality of the business and program prior to and over scale.