Mountain Housing Opportunities is pleased to announce Tara Irby as the affordable housing nonprofit’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Tara joined MHO in February 2025, most recently serving as VP/Director of Asset Management.
Tara brings significant experience in affordable housing management, having previously served as a Board member with MHO and collaborated on redevelopment projects for the former Lee Walker Heights and Deaverview properties while with the Asheville Housing Authority. With a thirty-year career spanning affordable housing, community development, and real estate, Tara brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective to this role. Her understanding of the systems, partnerships, and challenges that shape this work, at both the organizational and community level, will be invaluable as MHO continues to grow.
“Tara joined MHO’s staff at a pivotal moment in the aftermath of Helene, and made an immediate impact on MHO’s capacity to respond to the most acute needs of MHO properties and the people who call them home,” says Geoffrey Barton, President and CEO of MHO. “With Tara’s leadership as COO, MHO will be well-positioned to continue our long-term housing recovery efforts and redouble our commitments to delivering impactful and effective affordable housing programs at the scale necessary to address our community’s significant unmet housing needs.”
Throughout the search process, Tara’s commitment to MHO’s mission, vision, and people, along with the significant impact she has already made leading the Asset Management team, made her the clear choice to provide the strong operational leadership needed to sustain and grow MHO’s work. Under her leadership, MHO launched a new Resident Services program, developed strategies to strengthen the financial and operational performance of its housing portfolio, which included the stewardship and preservation of aging assets, and provided steady oversight of a complex and growing affordable housing portfolio.
“I am honored to step into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Mountain Housing Opportunities and continue advancing an organization whose mission has been central to my career,” said Tara Irby, MHO’s new Chief Operating Officer. “Having served alongside MHO as a board member, community partner, and now as part of the leadership team, I have seen firsthand the impact that safe, stable, and affordable housing has on individuals, families, and communities. I am grateful for the trust placed in me and excited to work alongside our dedicated staff, residents, partners, and supporters as we build on MHO’s strong foundation, preserve and expand affordable housing opportunities, and strengthen the communities we serve.”
Prior to joining MHO in 2025, Tara served as Chief Operating Officer of the Asheville Housing Authority and Executive Director of the Brevard Housing Authority. She currently serves on the City of Asheville’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee (AHAC), holds a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from UNC Asheville, has an Assisted Housing Manager (AHM) designation, and is a licensed Real Estate Broker in North Carolina.
MHO gratefully acknowledges the members of the Search Committee for their time, insight, and expertise in the selection process for MHO’s next Chief Operating Officer: Many thanks to Adeline Wolfe, Allison Rollison, Geoffrey Barton, Larry Jones, Lee McElrath, Meghan Gabel, and special advisor Mike Vance.