Tara Hovey

As President and COO of Optima, Inc., Ms. Hovey is responsible for setting and implementing the strategic vision for the firm. She directs all pre-development planning, deal evaluation, and the capitalization of the firm and its ground-up developments. In her role as COO, she oversees all company entities and business units including Corporate Finance, Marketing and Sales, Land Acquisition, Development, Investor Relations, Asset Management, and Risk Management. Additionally, she is responsible for creating the company’s annual, five-, and ten-year strategic plan as well as building the company’s assets under management.

Prior to becoming President of Optima, Inc., Ms. Hovey served as Senior Vice President for the firm, during which she was responsible for all capital markets efforts, corporate finance, hiring, and development. In her time at Optima, Ms. Hovey has been an integral member of the finance, sales and marketing, construction, and management teams. Prior to re-joining Optima in 2014, Ms. Hovey worked in capital markets at Cushman & Wakefield in New York where she underwrote debt and equity transactions totaling more than $980 million.

Ms. Hovey received her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School of Business in 2012 with concentrations in Real Estate and Entrepreneurship. She completed her undergraduate degree at Boston College in 2005 with a B.A. in the Honors Communications Program. Additionally, Ms. Hovey is a licensed Illinois Managing Broker and a member of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Chicago Guild Board.