Limestone's Director Of Major Gifts, Verhonda Crawford, Selected For "Forty Under 40" List

Verhonda Crawford, Director of Major Gifts for Limestone University’s Department of Institutional Advancement, was recently recognized on an inaugural “Forty Under 40” list in Spartanburg County.

Spartanburg Young Professionals, OneSpartanburg, Inc., and the Spartanburg Herald-Journal partnered to recognize a group of young professionals as the very first class of Spartanburg’s Forty Under 40. The group represents Spartanburg’s businesses, health care, educational institutions, nonprofits, and more.

Joining Limestone earlier this year as its Director of Major Gifts, Crawford assists the University in reaching its fundraising goals by identifying, cultivating, soliciting, and stewarding major gifts.

Since 2015, she has also owned VC Consulting, LLC. in Chesnee, which is a public relations consulting firm that specializes in promoting personal platforms and social media needs. She is also a resident artist of Mayfair Artisan Lofts through Chapman Cultural Center as the owner and designer of Designs by Verhonda and Verhonda Crawford Collection, a custom bridal and pageant gown company.

She served as the Director of Marketing/Exploring Assistant for Boy Scouts of America in Spartanburg from 2016 until 2020.

Crawford has also been a Council member of the City of Chesnee since 2010. Before she graduated from Gardner-Webb University in 2012, Crawford ran for City Council in Chesnee and became one of the youngest-elected government officials in the state of South Carolina. Because of her contributions to the community, Crawford was inducted into the 2016 Gardner-Webb Gallery of Distinguished Alumni. Receiving her MBA from Gardner-Webb in 2017, she was selected earlier this year as a member of the GWU Board of Trustees.

In addition, she works with an economic development group and volunteers with a non-profit to promote mentorship in Spartanburg County.

A former Miss South Carolina United States International, Crawford placed in the Top 15 at the Miss United States International pageant. She coaches cheerleading and pageant contestants, and several of her students have placed or won titles.

The “Forty Under 40” list was unveiled during a virtual ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 20, which showcased the contributions of Spartanburg’s diverse young professionals, and highlighted the growth of the future community leaders.

Those selected were recognized for their career success, community involvement, leadership ability, and influence.