KCDC employee earns prestigious SAHMA Rising Star Award
Submitted by Scott Bird
September 2, 2021

KNOXVILLE – Kristie Toby, a housing operations director for Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation (KCDC), has been awarded the Rising Star Award by the Southeastern Affordable Housing Management Association (SAHMA) at its annual leadership conference in Jacksonville, Florida, on Aug. 9.

Members of SAHMA, which include owners and managers of affordable, multifamily housing in the Southeast, select one emerging leader in the field each year to receive the award. In a letter to Toby, SAHMA President Sondra Wimbs recognized her as “a person destined for success” in the industry.

“We are proud of Kristie and appreciate the positive impact she makes at our communities and in our residents’ lives,” KCDC Executive Director and CEO Ben Bentley said. “Her commitment to KCDC’s mission to improve neighborhoods is apparent and impactful.” Toby joined KCDC in 1997 as a program technician.

The SAHMA Rising Star Award honors the legacy of Ed Sisson and Patty Ownby, trailblazers who provided and improved the quality of affordable housing in the Southeast throughout their careers. Toby joins an honor roll of deserving recipients since the awards inception in 1995.

About Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation
Since 1936, KCDC has been dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the citizens of Knoxville and Knox County. KCDC’s mission is to improve and transform neighborhoods and communities by providing quality affordable housing, advancing development initiatives and fostering self-sufficiency. For more information, call 865-403-1100 or visit www.kcdc.org.