Chris McCarthy, president and CEO of the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity (www.habitatnashville.org), won the HOPE Leadership Award for her efforts to transform her local habitat organization into a powerhouse. When she came on board in 2002, the group built about 10 homes a year. The group now is responsible annually for more than 60 homes, both locally and through partnerships in South America, Eastern Europe, and Asia.

She also led the creation of one of the largest Habitat communities in the United States: a 43-acre development with 138 homes and five acres of park space.