Ivory Mathews is Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Housing in South Carolina, bringing more than two decades of experience in organizational turnarounds and affordable housing development. She joined Columbia Housing in July 2019 following a period that had damaged public trust in the agency, and has since launched Vision 2030, a strategic plan involving several hundred million dollars in property preservation and new construction.
Before Columbia Housing, Mathews led the Greenville Housing Authority, where she turned a financially struggling agency into one with millions of dollars in reserves and a fully renovated housing portfolio. She also held leadership roles at housing authorities in Ohio and elsewhere in South Carolina, where she developed programs pairing workforce development with affordable housing services.
Beyond her operational work, Mathews is active in housing policy advocacy at the state and national level, and has spoken often about mentorship and encouraging other women to pursue leadership roles in the housing sector, a field that remains largely male-dominated.
