Candace Jamison is the chief operating officer for the Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) where she oversees the Agency’s Resident Services, Property Management (consisting of more than 6,500 units), Rental Assistance (administering more than 7,500 vouchers), Human Resources, Asset Management and Information Technology departments. MDHA houses more than 30,000 individuals living in the Nashville metropolitan region.
Before joining MDHA, Jamison served as the executive director of the Marion County Housing Authority. In her role, Jamison served families, seniors, farmworkers and Veterans living in rural Marion County Oregon. Her experience included responding to the 2020 wildfires which destroyed more than 700 homes by providing emergency housing assistance and leading the Housing Authority to develop new affordable housing for the first time in two decades. Jamison also previously spent a decade at Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) where she worked on anti-displacement strategies to support vulnerable communities impacted by rising housing costs.
Jamison’s background includes several years of volunteer and board work. Jamison was confirmed by the Oregon Legislature to serve on the Housing Stability Council which serves as the board to Oregon’s Housing Finance Agency. Jamison also served on the Oregon Governor’s Racial Justice Council- Housing Subcommittee.
Jamison holds a Master of Public Administration, Bachelor of Science in Community Development, and Bachelor of Science in Social Science degrees from Portland State University.