ORHA Leadership
Board of Directors
| Name | Position |
| Tom Beehan | Commissioner |
| Sharon Crane | Commissioner |
| Anne Dunthorn | Vice Chair |
| Jean Lantrip | Board Chair |
| Jim Palmer | Commissioner |
Staff
Maria Catron, Executive Director
mcatron@orha.net
Jim Ratliff, Director of Operations
jratliff@orha.net
Kaye Helton, Executive Assistant
khelton@orha.net
Alistair Blair, Housing Choice Voucher Director
ablair@orha.net
LaToyia Osborne, Housing Choice Voucher Specialist
losborne@orha.net
Erin Garner, Public Housing Specialist
egarner@orha.net
Alexis Harris, Family Self-Sufficiency Coordinator
aharris@orha.net
Kari King, Public Housing Director
kking@orha.net
Jose Perez, Maintenance Director
jperez@orha.net
John "Rich" Clayton, Maintenance Mechanic
jclayton@orha.net
David Caldwell, Maintenance Aide
dcaldwell@orha.net
Our History
The Oak Ridge Housing Authority (ORHA) was established in September 1969 under Tennessee’s Housing Authorities Law. A Cooperation Agreement with the City of Oak Ridge in 1973 allowed ORHA to pursue funding for its first public housing development—50 units completed in 1976 on Van Hicks Lane, Van Hicks Place, and Joel Lane. In 1983, the agreement expanded to include 78 additional units across scattered sites, completed in 1986.
Today, ORHA manages 128 public housing units: 124 are residential, and 2 are deprogrammed for administrative and community use.
ORHA began participating in the Section 8 Housing Program in 1978, initially serving 65 families. By the late 1990s, the Section 8 Certificate and Voucher programs merged into the current Housing Choice Voucher Program, with a peak of 260 vouchers depending on federal funding. Today, ORHA provides around $104,000 in monthly housing assistance to about 260 families, including 35 VASH vouchers for veterans—a distinction held by only four housing authorities in Tennessee.
Economic Impact
ORHA has approximately $4.25 million in assets, $690,000 in reserves, and contributes around $1.6 million annually to the local economy.
Structure
Five commissioners, appointed by Oak Ridge City Council, oversee ORHA. ORHA also contracts or hires skilled and unskilled labor as needed, with job opportunities often shared with public housing and voucher residents.
