Cathy Mercado is the Executive Director of the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership (MVHP), a nonprofit organization that promotes responsible and sustainable homeownership for low- and moderate income earners. A HUD-Certified Housing Counselor, Cathy coordinates classes for homebuyer programs in multiple languages and provides one-to-one counseling on economic and housing related issues. She has also worked as a mortgage loan officer. Prior to joining the staff at the MVHP, Cathy worked for many years as a Medical Billing Specialist for Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Chelmsford. A multilingual communicator (Spanish & English), Cathy serves on several non-profit boards in the city of Lowell, including The Acre Family Childcare and The Center for Hope & Healing.

Cathy is a lifelong resident of Lowell. She lives with her husband and has four children and two dogs.

She is an alumna of Public Matters, and she has studied non-profit management at Middlesex Community College.