PROFILE
By Glenda Graves | Portrait photo by Keith Branch
Ashley Wheeler
Home is Where the Heart is
Ashley Wheeler’s journey to becoming CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Arkansas tells a story of resilience, community and the power of wanting a place to call home.
She was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and lived there until 1992 when she moved with her parents and little brother to Northwest Arkansas. Ashley’s parents divorced when she was 10 years old, but she said even when her parents were still together, the family moved frequently, and she never truly felt she belonged anywhere.
Ashley said she attended nine different schools before finding a sense of belonging at Fayetteville Christian School. “I saw for the first time what stability and healthy family dynamics looked like,” she said, which was a stark contrast to what she witnessed in her own upbringing. She began to see what community support can mean and the lasting impact it can have on a person, especially a child like herself.
The Fayetteville Christian School community helped Ashley’s family apply for a Habitat for Humanity home in 2000. She was 16 at the time and said it was this experience that helped her realize how important home ownership can be. Just as with all Habitat homeowners, Ashley and her family participated firsthand in helping to build the home. “I remember raising the wall that would become my bedroom,” Ashley said. “For the first time in my life, I had pride in where I would live.”
Ashley married at 18 and moved to California with her husband, though they eventually returned to Northwest Arkansas. While living in Bentonville, they owned and ran a small business. “We had a shoe repair shop, and I learned so much working there,” Ashley said. “I also made sure that we owned a home.”
But after 10 years of marriage, the couple divorced, and Ashley found herself a single mom with four children, the oldest just 10 years old. In the divorce, Ashley made sure she was able to keep the house and knew she would figure out how to pay the bills. “Having our own home was a priority for me,” she said, “and I know that came from my time in a Habitat home.”
She began working in banking and took online classes in the evening through NorthWest Arkansas Community College to advance her career. She wanted to be a lender, which likely came from the passion she has for home ownership and sharing that with others. She joined First National Bank in 2019, where she became a mortgage lender and learned the ins and outs of the job.
In 2020, Ashley married Keith Wheeler, an architect in Fayetteville. “I wanted my children to see what a healthy marriage looked like,” she said. “Family was always so important to me, and when I met Keith, I knew we’d be able to have that. We now have a 2-year-old son together, and he truly completes our family. We live in a house that Keith designed and built. He was a general contractor, and I ran the budget. It was yet another opportunity for me to learn.”
Ashley began to give back to Habitat for Humanity by volunteering on job sites. She eventually joined the board of directors for Washington County Habitat for Humanity in April 2021 and became the board secretary in July that same year.
Ashley Wheeler and her family in 2000 at the groundbreaking for the Habitat for Humanity home she grew up in
She credits First National Bank in continuing her passion for Habitat for Humanity by giving a donation of $50,000 shortly after she became a board member for the organization. “First National Bank really facilitated my board work at Habitat for Humanity,” she said. “They believe that community engagement is vital.”
In 2023, the Habitat executive director resigned, and Ashley felt led to apply for the job. She went through an extensive interview process, but it didn’t work out in the end. “I got beat out by a guy who was much more qualified than I was,” she said. “But I stayed on the board, and it turned out that the timing didn’t work out for him. And that was when Habitat, with help from the Walton Family Foundation, began to work on merger negotiations with the Benton County Habitat for Humanity. Because we didn’t have an executive director at the time, I stepped in as a board member and learned so much during the process. I chaired the merger committee, which was formed in February of 2024.”
During weekly meetings, Ashley worked to build trust between the two boards. She allowed information from both sides to be brought to the committee. “I wanted what was best for Northwest Arkansas, not just each side,” she said. “The goal was to merge by June of 2024, and we met that goal — all while I working full time as a mortgage lender.”
Left: Habitat for Humanity board members signing to execute the merger of the Benton County and Washington County affiliates June 27
Right: Keith and Ashley Wheeler with Chase, Jameson, Ace and Avaley (Not pictured: Oldest daughter Rayley)
After the merger, it was time to start a new search for an executive director. The team did a nationwide search, and it came down to two final candidates, but neither worked out. The executive committee approached Ashley and asked if she would consider the position again. “I prayed and talked about it a lot,” she said. “But I felt like it was my calling. As much as I love mortgage lending, the position with Habitat would bring all my prior experience together for one job.”
The board agreed Ashley would be the perfect fit, and in late October, she started as the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Northwest Arkansas. In this position, she manages community engagement such as training and education, the building of the homes, and the nonprofit’s two resale stores. “I want to take the life-giving culture I had at First National Bank and bring that into the organization at Habitat,” she said.
Ashley has very clear ambitions for her role and the organization. “I want everyone in Northwest Arkansas to have either worked on a Habitat or to have the opportunity to do so,” she said.
Her vision includes increasing community engagement, building more homes and enhancing educational programs for potential homeowners. Ashley aims to be building 20 homes per year over 3 to 5 years and building on this momentum as a vital part of addressing the affordable housing crisis in the region.
With her deep understanding of the challenges many families face and her passionate advocacy for home ownership, Ashley is poised to make a lasting impact in the lives of many. As she dives into her role, her vision of building not just homes but strong, connected communities is set to inspire change and hope throughout Northwest Arkansas. They say home is where the heart is, but Ashley has found two places to hang hers: with Keith and her children and with Habitat for Humanity.