Last week, the Biden Administration unveiled its “House America” initiative, a new partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and city, county, state and tribal governments to reduce homelessness and expand affordable housing by investing CARES Act and American Rescue Plan funds in community housing needs. Speaking at a September 20th press conference, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge promised her full support for the initiative, stating that “it’s going to take government working at all levels to address homelessness and to guarantee housing as a right for every American.”
While the administration’s all-of-government approach reflects the scale necessary to address the nation’s housing crisis, Secretary Fudge’s own department lacks the manpower to help direct this effort and the rest of Biden’s housing goals. More than nine months into Biden’s presidency, HUD is plagued by a series of high-profile vacancies, jeopardizing the administration’s housing policy initiatives.
According to official HUD personnel directories reviewed by the Revolving Door Project, more than 100 HUD positions relevant to housing policy remain vacant or currently filled by an acting staff member. If Secretary Fudge and the Biden Administration hope to implement their housing agenda, they will need to fill these vacancies with innovative and knowledgeable officials who are dedicated to carrying out HUD’s mission of creating “strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.”
This blog serves as a non-comprehensive list of HUD personnel vacancies relevant to federal housing policy. Given the Senate’s growing backlog of nominees and the worsening national housing crisis, we urge President Biden to support changing Senate rules to expedite the confirmation of HUD nominees, as well as to quickly fill non-Senate-confirmed HUD vacancies with public interest advocates as soon as possible.
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
The FHA, also known as the Office of Housing, provides mortgage insurance on loans made by agency-approved private lenders for single-family homes, multifamily rental properties, residential care facilities, and other residential care facilities. It has been the backbone of HUD’s initiatives to promote homeownership since becoming part of the Department in 1965. The FHA’s core personnel are sorted into different offices and program divisions, including the commissioner’s office, single-family and multifamily housing programs, housing counseling, and more. Since February 2021, the agency has been led by Biden appointee and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lopa Kolluri, who is performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary for Housing in an acting capacity while Biden nominee Julia Gordon awaits confirmation by the Senate. Among the HUD offices we reviewed, the FHA has the greatest number of vacant positions and acting personnel.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Federal Housing Commissioner | PENDING CONFIRMATION | Biden nominee Julia Gordon is pending confirmation by the Senate, Lopa Kolluri performing duties in interim |
| General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing | VACANT | |
| Chief of Staff | VACANT | |
| Senior Advisor | 5 VACANCIES | |
| Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| Program Analyst | 2 VACANCIES |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Director of Office of Residential Care Facilities | VACANT | |
| Deputy Director of Office of Architecture and Engineering for Healthcare Programs | VACANT |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Senior Advisor to the Office of Field Support and Operations for Multifamily Housing | VACANT | |
| Director of Office of Program Systems Management for Multifamily Housing | VACANT | |
| Senior Advisor to Office of Multifamily Asset Management and Portfolio Oversight | 2 VACANCIES | |
| Branch Chief for Branch 2, Office of Recapitalization | VACANT | |
| Supervisor for Closing and Post Closing, Office of Recapitalization | VACANT |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single Family Housing | VACANT | |
| Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Single Family Housing | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Julie Shaffer |
| Director of Philadelphia Homeownership Center (HOC) | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Anthony Triolo |
| Director of Denver HOC | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Elaine Roberts |
| Deputy Director of Program Support Division, Office of Single Family Program Development | VACANT | |
| Director of Home Valuation Policy Division, Office of Single Family Program Development | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Barbara Leslie |
| Deputy Director of Home Valuation Policy Division, Office of Single Family Program Development | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Brian Barnes |
| Director of Office of Single Family Asset Management | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Elissa “Lisa” Saunders |
| Deputy Director of Asset Management & Disposition Division, Office of Single Family Asset Management | VACANT | |
| Deputy Director of Quality Assurance Division, Office of Lender Activities and Program Compliance | VACANT |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Deputy Division Director for Office of Outreach & Capacity Building | VACANT | |
| Director of Oversight & Accountability Division | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: E. Carolyn Hogans |
Risk Management and Regulation
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Risk Management and Regulation | VACANT | |
| Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Risk Management and Regulation | VACANT | |
| Market Analysis Division Director, Office of Evaluation | VACANT |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Operations | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Anthony Reeves |
| Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Operations | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Eric J. Pourciau |
| Continuous Improvement Manager for Housing Operations | VACANT | |
| FHA Transformation Manager | VACANT | |
| Deputy Director of Organizational Policy Planning & Analysis, Office of Management for Housing Operations | VACANT |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Housing-FHA Comptroller | VACANT | |
| Deputy Director of the Office of Asset Sales | VACANT | |
| Director of the Office of Budget and Field Resources | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Nicholas Joy |
| Deputy Director of the Office of Budget and Field Resources | VACANT |
Office of General Counsel (OGC)
The OGC acts as the chief legal arm of HUD, leading the Department’s legal efforts to enforce housing civil rights laws. Its primary duties entail providing legal opinions, services, and counseling on HUD’s housing programs, as well as taking aggressive legal action in federal court against those in violation of HUD’s housing regulations. The OGC has been led by General Counsel Damon Smith, a Biden nominee and former corporate lawyer at Jenner & Block, since April 2021.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Principal Deputy General Counsel | VACANT |
Regional Offices/Field Managers
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Regional Counsel for Region I (Boston) | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Derya Samadi |
| Chief Counsel for Region I (Hartford) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region I (Manchester) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region I (Providence) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region III (Richmond) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region IV (Jackson) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region IV (Louisville) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region V (Columbus) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region V (Milwaukee) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region VI (Houston) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region VI (San Antonio) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region VII (Des Moines) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region VII (Omaha) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region IX (Honolulu) | VACANT | |
| Chief Counsel for Region X (Portland) | VACANT |
Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)
The FHEO leads HUD’s enforcement efforts against housing discrimination by investigating fair housing complaints, conducting compliance reviews, integrating civil rights assessments into HUD programs, and managing fair housing grants. FHEO was led for the first nine months of the Biden administration by Acting Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Jeanine Worden, who has since gone on to serve as HUD’s Associate General Counsel for Fair Housing while Biden’s FHEO nominee David Ueijo awaits Senate confirmation.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity | PENDING CONFIRMATION | Biden nominee David Ueijo is awaiting confirmation by the Senate. |
| Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary | VACANT |
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement’s Office
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement Programs | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Amy Frisk |
| Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Stephanie Waller |
| Director of the Compliance Disability Rights Division, Office of Enforcement | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Jacy Gaige |
| Director of Fair Housing Assistance Program Division, Office of Enforcement | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Erik Steinecker |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Director of Richmond FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Atlanta FHEO Center | VACANT | |
| Director of Louisville FHEO Center | VACANT | |
| Director of Birmingham FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Knoxville FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Greensboro FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Columbia FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of New Orleans FHEO Center | VACANT | |
| Director of Oklahoma City FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Albuquerque FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Little Rock FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Omaha FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Denver Regional Office | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: James Whiteside |
| Director of San Francisco FHEO Center | VACANT | |
| Director of Seattle FHEO Center | VACANT | |
| Director of Portland FHEO Field Office | VACANT | |
| Director of Anchorage FHEO Field Office | VACANT |
Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations (CIR)
This office serves as HUD’s principal point of contact before Congress, advocating for the Department’s budgetary and legislative requests that require Congressional funding. It also coordinates HUD’s response to Congressional oversight of housing policy conducted through the Department and regularly submits testimony in response to Congressional inquiries. The office is currently led by General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations Sarah Brundage, who is performing the duties of the Assistant Secretary in an acting capacity.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations | VACANT | No Biden nominee yet, Sarah Brundage is fulfilling duties in interim |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations | VACANT | |
| Congressional Relations Officer | VACANT |
Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD)
This office administers funding to cities, counties, and state governments who are enrolled in HUD’s housing grant programs, such as the Community Development Block Grant program and the HOME program. As such, it plays an influential role in state and local efforts to address homelessness and public-private affordable housing project partnerships. CPD is currently headed by Biden appointee and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary James Arthur Jemison, who is performing the duties of Assistant Secretary while Biden nominee Mark Colón awaits Senate confirmation.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development | PENDING CONFIRMATION | Biden nominee Mark Colón is pending confirmation by the Senate, James Arthur Jemison performing duties in interim. |
| General Deputy Assistant Secretary | VACANT | |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Operations | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Steven Washington |
| Director of the Office of Environment and Energy | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Moriel-Elorm Tchaou |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Louisville Office Director (Region IV) | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Renee Ryles |
| Indianapolis Office Director (Region V) | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Renee Ryles |
Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae)
Ginnie Mae is a government-owned corporation housed within HUD that guarantees the timely payment of mortgage-backed securities issued by private lenders. In practice, Ginnie Mae’s loan guarantees help expand affordable homeownership to underserved parts of the mortgage market, such as first-time home buyers and low-income borrowers. Ginnie Mae, which has lacked a permanent president since 2017, is currently led by Acting EVP Michael Drayne while Biden nominee Alanna McCargo awaits confirmation by the Senate.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| President of Ginnie Mae | PENDING CONFIRMATION | Biden nominee Alanna McCargo is awaiting Senate confirmation, Acting EVP Michael Drayne is performing duties in interim |
Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R)
PD&R serves as HUD’s primary policy research arm, maintaining quantitative data and qualitative assessments of national housing needs, housing market conditions, and current HUD housing programs. The office is currently headed by General Deputy Assistant Secretary Todd Richardson, who is performing the duties of Assistant Secretary in an acting capacity while Biden nominee Solomon Greene awaits confirmation by the Senate.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research | PENDING CONFIRMATION | Biden nominee Solomon Greene awaiting Senate confirmation, Todd Richardson leading PD&R in interim. |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Innovation | VACANT |
Office of Public and Indian Housing (PIH)
PIH is home to HUD’s efforts to regulate and expand affordable public housing to low-income, urban, and Native communities. The office is home to many of HUD’s public housing grant and voucher programs, such as the HOPE VI and Section 8 housing voucher programs. PIH is currently led by General Deputy Assistant Secretary Dominique Blom, who is fulfilling the duties of the Assistant Secretary in an acting capacity while Biden nominee James Arthur Jemison (who is also currently serving as the acting head of CPD) awaits Senate confirmation to be Assistant Secretary of PIH.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing | PENDING CONFIRMATION | Biden nominee James Arthur Jemison is pending confirmation by the Senate, Dominique Blom leading PIH in interim. |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Real Estate Assessment Center | VACANT |
Office of Field Policy and Management (FPM)
FPM manages and oversees HUD’s 80 regional and field offices nationwide, which serve as the primary point of contact between the Department and local communities. As such, FPM plays a crucial role in assessing the housing needs of communities across the country and implementing HUD’s local policy responses. The office is currently led by Biden appointee Michele Perez, who has served as the Assistant Deputy Secretary for Field Policy and Management since February 2021.
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Director of the Office of Field Policy and Management | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Krista Mills |
| Deputy Director of the Office of Field Policy and Management | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Ivery Himes |
| Advisor to the Assistant Deputy Secretary | VACANT | |
| National Director of Labor Standard & Enforcement | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Amanda Hermann |
| Position | Status | Additional Information |
| Atlanta Regional Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| Chicago Regional Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| Boston Regional Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| New York Regional Office Administrator: | VACANT | unclear when forthcoming Biden appointee Alicka Ampry-Samuel will take office |
| Philadelphia Regional Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| Fort Worth Regional Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| Seattle Regional Office Administrator | VACANT | |
| Santa Ana, CA Field Office Director | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Laurie Cannady Udit |
| Knoxville, TN Field Office Director | ACTING OFFICIAL | Acting: Michael Browder |
This page will be continuously updated. If you know of other housing-related HUD vacancies not listed here or that you would like to see highlighted, please reach out to us at [email protected].
PHOTO: “SOHUD Visits Rock Hill, SC and Catawba Nation“ by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Flickr)