Program Officer Brandon Baird joined the professional team at Community Foundation of Henderson County in November of 2022 bringing with him a decade of experience in philanthropy, as well as the personal experience of a CFHC scholarship recipient returned home. Brandon serves as the primary support to programmatic functions of the Foundation. He is responsible for all aspects of the Foundation’s grantmaking processes, including proactive research, organizational convening, proposal investigation, advising and evaluation, strategic planning for identified community needs, cultivating community relations, and more.
A Henderson County native, Brandon graduated from East Henderson High School in 2008 and continued his education at UNC Chapel Hill with the assistance of scholarships from Community Foundation of Henderson County. After earning a Bachelor’s Degree in 2012, Brandon began his professional career in Washington, D. C. working in resource development at two nonprofits before moving cross-country to Denver, Colorado in 2016. Brandon worked for nearly five years at The Denver Foundation specializing in grantmaking committee leadership, donor and grantee stewardship, family philanthropy and bespoke charitable gift planning. During his tenure, Brandon oversaw the Community Legacy Society, was a core grantmaking team member for the COVID-19 Recovery & Resilience Fund, and led the Environmental Affinity and Arts Affinity Groups.
In 2022, Brandon and his wife relocated back home to the mountains of western North Carolina. Brandon enjoys a multitude of outdoor activities across the Blue Ridge as well as experiencing and participating in the legacy of art, music, craft, and food that makes our region unique.