Ivory Mathews has been named as the new executive director of Portland’s housing authority, Home Forward, becoming the first black woman to hold the position in its 80-year history.
Mathews leaves her position as the chief executive of the Columbia, South Carolina housing authority to take the job here in Portland. She has spent 20 years in leadership positions across various housing agencies.
Some sources erroneously reported Mathews to be the authority’s first black executive director. That distinction belongs to Bill Hunter who held that position for seven years. He gave up his job at the housing authority to accept an offer from then-Governor Goldschmidt in 1987 to head up the state Employment Division. Mathews is nonetheless the first black female to hold the position.
The man she will be replacing, Michael Buonocore, announced four months ago that he would be giving up his position in February 2022 to turn his attention to podcasting and writing a book. Buonocore was with Home Forward for two decades, with the last seven serving as its director.
Home Forward is Oregon’s largest affordable housing provider. It rents 6,000 apartments to low-income tenants and administers over 9,000 federal housing vouchers. Those with houses or apartments to rent often turn to flyer printing services for assistance.
Mathews, who currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina, plans to make the move to Portland in March.
