BroadView Talent Partners Recruits CEO for Mountain Housing Opportunities

September 28, 2023 – BroadView Talent Partners has assisted in the recruitment of Geoffrey Barton as the new president and CEO of non-profit Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) in Asheville, NC. He replaces Scott Dedman, who retired in early August after 30 years in the role. Mr. Barton’s selection as MHO’s next leader comes after a nationwide search. Broadview Talent Partners conducted the search with an emphasis on diverse and inclusive talent acquisition, retention, and leadership development. Charlie Owen, chair of MHO’s board of directors, led the organization’s executive search in partnership with a small group of fellow board members, community leaders, and seasoned MHO staff. Johanna Vargas and Robyn Quinn led the assignment of behalf of BroadView.

“MHO’s executive search attracted interest from a wide-array of talented leaders in the affordable housing sector and raised the profile of Mountain Housing Opportunities regionally and nationally,” said Mr. Owen. “This competitive process allowed us to look for an executive with the right combination of experience, vision, and passion for this work. We were fortunate to find such a leader in Geoffrey Barton, who has already demonstrated his expertise in bringing safe, well-located, and beautifully designed affordable housing to the people of western North Carolina. I have every confidence in his ability to guide MHO towards an even greater impact in creating and preserving the affordable housing that the people of our region need and deserve.”

Mr. Barton brings experience in affordable housing design, development, and financing. He joined the MHO team in 2013 as an enterprise rose architectural fellow, progressing to become MHO’s manager of architectural services in 2016 and then to his most recent position as vice president and director of real estate development in 2020. Under Mr. Barton’s leadership, MHO obtained highly competitive low-income housing tax credit awards to support the creation of 346 new affordable apartments in Buncombe and Haywood Counties. “Geoffrey consistently demonstrates his commitment to inclusive community engagement, resident-centered development, and environmentally responsible design,” the non-profit said.

Mr. Barton previously worked at Van Meter Williams Pollack Architecture in San Francisco and HH Architecture in Raleigh, NC. He currently serves as a commissioner on the City of Asheville’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

“I am deeply honored to be chosen to lead MHO’s important work into the future,” said Mr. Barton. “Everyone in our community deserves access to the safety and stability provided by affordable housing. I am firmly committed to growing the impact of our housing programs to help meet the growing need in our region.”

Mountain Housing Opportunities is a private, non-profit community development corporation whose mission is to build and improve homes, neighborhoods, communities, and lives, and build hope and dignity in the people they serve. The organization serves over 2,000 households each year through affordable rental homes, essential home repair, construction and sale of new affordable homes, and down payment assistance.

Serving Non-Profits

Founded in 2015, BroadView Talent Partners is a national executive search firm dedicated to placing leadership in affordable housing agencies, non-profit organizations, and associations, as well as middle market companies. The firm provides clients with a national network; commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a record of long-tenured placements. Its specialties include executive search, talent acquisition, retention solutions, career management, executive coaching, and board development.

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Tracy McMillan is managing partner and CEO of BroadView. He has over 25 years of experience providing executive search, retention solutions and leadership advisory services to clients. He has developed a strong focus within the affordable housing, non-profit and middle-market sectors, and established a track record of well-placed, long-tenured C-suite executives. Prior to starting BroadView Talent Partners (formerly HCGA Consulting Partners) in 2015, Mr. McMillan served as the vice president of global talent acquisition for the NBA. Previously, he spent five years as a managing director at Diversified Search Group.

Ms. Vargas, vice president and senior associate, has over 17 years of business experience including human resource services and consulting, as well as talent acquisition, coaching and training. Specializing in brand awareness and acquisition integration as well as organizational and business development, she is passionate about solving complex analytical problems, improving processes, and helping clients achieve their organizational goals.

Ms. Quinn, vice president and senior research associate, is an experienced research and recruiting professional with a demonstrated history of accomplishments within the executive search and corporate recruiting sectors. Her areas of industry expertise include non-profit, healthcare and fundraising/development.

Related: Related: Replacing a Longtime, Non-Profit CEO

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media

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