Recently resigned Deputy Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Pam Patenaude, will transition out of her role in January.
According to a HUD spokesperson, FHA Commissioner Brian Montgomery will serve as acting deputy secretary. Further, Montgomery will still maintain his role as FHA commissioner while he is acting deputy.
Secretary Ben Carson accepted Patenaude's resignation earlier today. Carson often vocally praised Patenaude for her service as the deputy secretary.
"On behalf of a grateful agency, and the families and communities we serve, I want to thank her for her tremendous contributions to advancing HUD’s mission," said Secretary Carson in an email to HousingWire. "She led HUD’s largest disaster recovery response after unprecedented storms and fires damaged communities across the country. She is a true public servant, and I wish her well as she returns to private life in New Hampshire."
Early reaction from some in the industry included expressions of concern: "Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude's decision to leave HUD is the second high-profile resignation in less than a month, leaving an already understaffed Cabinet agency with less leadership at a critical time," said one email to the HousingWire newsroom.
The HUD spokesperson sought to allay that fear.
"The department and those we serve are in good hands, we have a very deep bench of political and career employees with decades of relevant experience," the official said. "Our efforts to increase the supply of housing, end homelessness, enforce fair housing laws, respond to disasters, improve the fiscal condition of HUD and ensure Americans have access to safe, sanitary, and decent housing will continue unabated".
The CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, Adrianne Todman, also provided a quick reaction.
"I am saddened to hear that HUD Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude has announced her departure next year from HUD. She is a strong, capable and qualified leader with extensive experience in the affordable housing industry who has served the department well," Todman said. "NAHRO enthusiastically supported Ms. Patenaude when she was nominated to the position last year, and continued to turn to her throughout her tenure to share key industry issues impacting our members and the families they serve. She proved to be an accessible and thoughtful leader, and I am grateful for her service."
NAHRO is a longstanding membership organization comprised of approximately 20,000 housing and community development agencies and officials throughout the United States who administer a variety of affordable housing and community development programs at the local level.
