WHO’S WHO AT HUD

HUD LEADERSHIP TEAM

The new leadership team at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is falling into place one-by-one.

In the last few weeks, President Barack Obama has announced his picks for most of the top department posts, selecting housing experts from across the country. Several of the nominees are being plucked from deep within the industry, and several are marking a return to HUD.

Affordable Housing Finance takes a look at the new team. Where will the new leadership put affordable housing on its list of priorities?

SHAUN DONOVAN

Secretary Shaun Donovan was sworn in Jan. 26, 2009. Prior to joining HUD, Donovan was commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development. He has also worked at Prudential Mortgage Capital Co. as managing director of its Federal Housing Administration lending and affordable housing investments. Donovan’s extensive housing experience includes an earlier stint with HUD as deputy assistant secretary for multifamily housing during the Clinton administration.

RON SIMS

The other HUD nominees, many of whom are in the confirmation process, include:

Ron Sims, deputy secretary: As deputy secretary, Sims will be charged with managing HUD’s day-to-day operations, a nearly $39 billion annual operating budget, and the agency’s 8,500 employees. He is county executive of King County, Wash. Sims is a board member for Reconnecting America Center for Transit Oriented Development, an advisory board member of the Brooking Center of Urban and Metropolitan Policy, and co-chair of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County.

CAROL GALANTE

Carol Galante, deputy assistant secretary for multifamily housing programs: An experienced affordable housing developer, Galante is the longtime leader of BRIDGE Housing, a major nonprofit housing builder and operator in California.

SANDRA HENRIQUEZ

Sandra Henriquez, assistant secretary for public and Indian housing: Henriquez would bring her experience of leading the Boston Housing Authority to the role of assistant secretary for public housing. She has been CEO of the Boston agency since 1996.

MERCEDES MARQUEZ

Mercedes Marquez, assistant secretary for community planning and development: Marquez has been general manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department since 2004. Her resume also includes serving as vice president of McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc., a national development firm. Marquez also has prior HUD experience, having served as senior counsel to the secretary and general counsel for civil rights and fair housing at HUD during the Clinton administration.

DAVID STEVENS

David Stevens, assistant secretary for housing, Federal Housing commissioner: Stevens is president and COO of the Long & Foster Cos., which includes Long & Foster Real Estate and its affiliated business, including mortgage, title, insurance, and home service connections. He was executive vice president and national wholesale manager at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage’s wholesale channel and vice president of single-family business at Freddie Mac.

JOHN TRASVINA

John Trasvina, assistant secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity: In 2006, Trasvina was named president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund. In 1997, President Bill Clinton appointed him as special counsel for immigration-related unfair employment practices, leading the only federal government office devoted solely to immigrant workplace rights and was the highest-ranking Latino attorney at the Department of Justice.

HELEN R. KANOVSKY

Helen R. Kanovsky, general counsel: She is COO of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, a $3.4 billion firm that invests in housing securities for its institutional investors. Kanovsky previously served as chief of staff to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and was executive vice president and general counsel of GE Capital Asset Management and its predecessor, Skyline Finance Services Corp.

RAPHAEL BOSTIC

Raphael Bostic, assistant secretary for policy development and research: Bostic is a professor at the University of Southern California’s School of Policy, Planning, and Development. He studies the roles that credit markets, financing, and policy play in enhancing household access to economic and social amenities.

PETER KOVAR

Peter Kovar, assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs: A congressional staffer for 25 years, Kovar has been chief of staff for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) since 1991. He has played a key role in coordinating the interaction between Frank’s office and the House Financial Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal housing policy.