Molly Hemstreet

Co-Founder & Interim Executive Director | The Industrial Commons

Molly is Co‑Founder and Interim Executive Director of The Industrial Commons, as well as Co‑Deputy CEO of the North Carolina Textile Innovation Engine. She co‑founded The Industrial Commons in 2015 to support industrial workers across her region and continues to drive collaborative solutions. A native of Morganton, NC, Molly remains deeply rooted in her hometown, where she lives, works, and raises her family.

After attending Duke University, Molly returned to Morganton to teach in the public school system before joining the Center for Participatory Change. There, she organized economic development initiatives across rural Western North Carolina to address the growing need for fair and sustainable livelihoods. In 2008, she founded Opportunity Threads, which has grown into the largest U.S.‑based worker‑owned cut‑and‑sew facility. Building on that momentum, she co‑founded the Carolina Textile District in 2013, a strategic value chain focused on revitalizing textile manufacturing across the Carolinas.

Under her leadership, The Industrial Commons was awarded a National Science Foundation Innovation Engine in 2024. Molly has also contributed her leadership at the state and national levels, serving on boards to promote rural development. Molly is an Ashoka Fellow, a TED Fellow, and an Emerson Collective Fellow. Beyond her professional commitments, she cherishes time with her family and being in the woods.