Maria Catron, deputy director of the Kingsport Housing and Redevelopment Authority, will become the executive director of the Oak Ridge Housing Authority in September.

Jean Lantrip, ORHA Board chair, announced the board’s decision to name Catron the new executive director, a press release said.

“In her visit to Oak Ridge, Maria impressed us with her serious interest in improving public housing through community projects and her history of collaborating with a number of stakeholders, including city government,” Lantrip said in the press release. “With her outgoing personality, she has the knack of connecting with everyone she meets.”

Catron, who has worked with the Kingsport housing agency since 2004, began her career there as grants and community development coordinator, later serving as Hope VI community supportive services coordinator and self-sufficiency and homeownership administrator before becoming deputy director in 2014. [Read more…]