The Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced it has sworn Maurice Jones in as Deputy Secretary. In the position, Jones will serve as the second most senior HUD official, second only to HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan.
Jones was confirmed by the Senate on March 20 and will be charged with managing HUD’s day-to-day operations as well as its near $47 million annual budget and the departments 8,900 employees.
“President Obama and Secretary Donovan have blessed me with the opportunity to join HUD during this critical period when we continue to support a fragile recovery from an historic housing crisis,” Jones said. “I’m ready to help continue transforming an organization charged with moving beyond the yesterday’s experiences to tackle today’s challenges and those we’ll face tomorrow.”
Jones comes from the private sector, having worked most recently as President of Pilot Media in Norfolk, Virginia. His public service career includes work as commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services and deputy chief of staff to then-Virginia Governor Mark Warner, as well as special assistant to the general counsel of the Treasury Department and as legal counsel to the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund and as director of the fund during the Clinton Administration.
“Maurice has one of the strongest public and private sector track records I’ve seen for building consensus and solving big problems,” said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan “As we continue to confront our current housing challenges, HUD will certainly benefit from Maurice’s intellect, his proven management experience and his great people skills.”
Written by Elizabeth Ecker
