Staff

Housing Up’s mission is to provide families with opportunities to transform their lives and thrive through affordable housing and support services. Completing this mission would not be possible without the dedicated work of Housing Up’s staff. Housing Up’s staff of 90 is led by our Executive Leadership team:

Mercedes Lemp

President & Chief Executive Officer

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Haribo Kamara-Taylor

Chief Operating Officer

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Corey Mendez

Chief Program Officer

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Christina Peay

Chief Development & Communications Officer

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Board of Directors

Housing Up’s board of directors currently has 6 members. Our board members are recruited from key sectors of housing development, housing advocacy and finance. 

Housing Up’s board of directors actively participates in the governance and financial oversight of Housing Up’s operations. The board members provide expertise in critical areas of the organization’s operations, programs, and finances.

For a list of board members and their bios, read more here.

 

Associate Board

The associate board supports Housing Up’s mission and goals while building professional skills and growing as community leaders. Associate board members are young professionals that contribute their talents and resources to cultivate a network of Housing Up supporters, volunteers, and ambassadors.

Anna Rabil

Katie Williams

Olivia Painchaud

Parker Stone

If you are interested in joining our associate board, please email Sarah Jaleel, Senior Manger of Development & Communications, at sjaleel@housingup.org. 

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Mercedes Lemp joined Housing Up in September of 2025. Prior to Housing Up, she served as Executive Director of My Sister’s Place for over seven years, expanding housing and services for families experiencing homelessness due to domestic violence. Mercedes has a long history of working to support communities in need in the Washington, DC area in nonprofit and government roles. She supported immigrant communities as Executive Director of Washington English Center and was appointed as the Director of the DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs by Mayor Adrian Fenty, serving as a Cabinet member from January 2007 through December 2010. Mercedes holds an MBA in International Marketing from George Washington University and a BA in Business and Management Administration from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a lifetime member of Leadership Greater Washington (class of 2014).

Mercedes Lemp

President & Chief Executive Officer

Haribo Kamara-Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, brings years of experience overseeing financial and administrative operations for academic and nonprofit organizations. Most recently the Director of Finance at Meridian Public Charter School here in Washington, DC, Haribo also has tenures at DC’s Paul Public Charter School and Barclays Corporate Banking in London. A graduate of the Howard University School of Business, Haribo will receive his Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown University this year. When not overseeing budgets and financials, Haribo spends his time as a volunteer soccer coach with ACG Academy, and serves on the board of Play Footy, a nonprofit that brings soccer to underserved neighborhoods in the District.

Haribo Kamara-Taylor

Chief Operating Officer

Corey Mendez, Chief Program Officer, brings years of experience working to end homelessness. She has worked in fundraising, community advocacy, system coordination, policy development and implementation, government partnerships, and finance and operations. Corey joined Housing Up in 2014 as a grant writer and now leads many daily operations. She oversees Housing Up’s public grant funding management and the data team. Prior to joining Housing Up, Corey worked for the Cabell-Huntington Coalition for the Homeless in Huntington, WV, a nonprofit providing homeless services, affordable housing development, and system coordination for the Cabell-Huntington-Wayne Continuum of Care. Corey received her undergraduate degree in public relations from Marshall University and her Master of Public Administration and Policy degree from American University.

Corey Mendez

Chief Program Officer

Christina Peay, Chief Development & Communications Officer, brings years of experience crafting compelling messaging and developing strong brand identities for nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. Christina joined Housing Up in 2015, leading communications efforts that included 2016’s rebrand from Transitional Housing Corporation to Housing Up. Christina now oversees Housing Up’s development, communications and community engagement efforts. Prior to Housing Up, Christina worked for communications and marketing agencies in North Carolina and New York City, helping organizations such as Sesame Workshop, the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida Health System navigate branding and communications challenges. Christina earned her Bachelor of Arts from Barnard College, Columbia University and resides in downtown Silver Spring.

Christina Peay

Chief Development & Communications Officer

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Are you in search of housing and wondering if Housing Up will fit your needs? Learn about resources and what to expect.

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