Shaun Donovan Tapped to Head HUD

New York, NY —

New York City housing commissioner Shaun Donovan has been tapped to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the Obama administration.

REPOTER: In his radio address today, the president-elect called Donovan an outstanding public servant and said he would bring "fresh thinking unencumbered by old ideology and outdated ideas."

OBAMA: As Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development in New York City, Shaun has led the effort to create the largest housing plan in the nation, helping hundreds of thousands of our citizens buy or rent their homes. Prior to joining Mayor Bloomberg's administration, Shaun worked both in business, where he was responsible for affordable housing investments, and at one of our nation's top universities, where he researched and wrote about housing issues.

REPORTER: During the Clinton administration, the Harvard-educated architect was deputy assistant secretary for multi-family housing at HUD. The New York native has been the city's top housing official since March 2004. He's credited with keeping foreclosures away from the city's low- and moderate-income home ownership program, with just five foreclosures out of 17,000 participating homes.

He also spearheaded the creation of the $200 million New York Acquisition Fund, a collaboration between the city, foundations and financial institutions. It is intended to help small developers and nonprofit groups compete for land in the private market.

Donovan took a leave of absence as New York's housing commissioner to campaign for Obama.