The Evolution of Affordable Housing in Nashville and the Challenges of Mixed Income Development

After graduating from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Jim served in the United States Marine Corps for 28 years, retiring as a Colonel. He subsequently held senior leadership positions in healthcare facility development and international real estate management prior to joining the Department of Housing and Urban Development as the Director of the Multifamily Program Center in Nashville, Tennessee. In December, 2013, he was appointed the fifth Executive Director of Nashville’s Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA).

MDHA manages 7398 units of affordable housing units in its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Project Based Voucher, Single Room Occupancy, and Veterans Assisted Support Housing portfolio; and 6252 mixed income housing units in its Public Housing, Section 8 Projected Based Rental Assistance, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, market rate and FHA insured portfolio. MDHA also administers over $9,000,000 annually of HUD Community Program Development funds for Nashville and Davidson County, and serves as Nashville’s development agency, managing its Redevelopment Program and twelve redevelopment districts.

Jim holds Masters Degrees in International Economics and Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University and in International Affairs from George Washington University. He is also a graduate of the Rutgers University Public Housing Executive Director Education Program. Jim and his wife Beth, an emergency medicine physician and U. S. Navy combat veteran, have three great children.