The 2022 Cabell Brand Hope Award was presented to Abby Verdillo Hamilton, president & CEO of the United Way of Roanoke Valley for her dedication to the communities in southwest Virginia.
Abby was born in the Philippines, where she developed her love for community service. In 2002 she began her career with the United Way of Roanoke Valley, where her leadership helped to make it one of the community’s cornerstone nonprofits. She is one of a handful of Asian United Way CEOs in the national United Way network and has spent close to 15 years building and growing various collaborations. Her leadership style and natural inclination for engaging diverse audiences and collaborating with others have successfully driven the development and growth of local and regional partnerships to improve outcomes in our community’s most pressing challenges.
“The work of creating positive change is rarely the result of one individual, Abby said, and I want to share this award in recognition of the incredible staff at United Way of Roanoke Valley; and the individuals, families, neighborhood leaders, partner organizations, and community advocates I get to work with every day. Thank you for the privilege of learning alongside you, and the honor of serving this community together.”
Annette Lewis, TAP president & CEO, says “The TAP board is pleased to recognize Abby Hamilton with the 2022 Cabell Brand Hope Award. Cabell Brand dedicated countless volunteer hours to improving the quality of life for marginalized citizens. His desire was for every human being to have an opportunity to live the American dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Abby’s body of work at United Way demonstrates her commitment to Cabell’s mission and her action during the pandemic is an example. Abby brought together state, local, health, and human service leaders to provide a community response to ensure that the needs of those with limited resources were not overlooked. We applaud Abby and are grateful for her contributions to the community.”
To learn more about the award and legacy of Cabell Brand, visit tapintohope.org/hopeaward.
