PD&R Assistant Secretary’s Awards

PD&R Assistant Secretary’s Awards

Raphael Bostic, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research If you have ever heard me talk about working at PD&R, you have heard me talk about the talented, energetic staff whose excellent work continually makes me look good. Every so often, I have an opportunity to acknowledge this quality work. On December 16, 2011, it was my great pleasure to present the annual PD&R Assistant Secretary’s Awards to four outstanding PD&R staff, and I would like to share with you profiles of their work.

In 2008, Congress required HUD to begin collecting data on tenants living in properties financed using money invested through incentives provided by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, which is the primary vehicle for financing the production of affordable rental units so critical to HUD’s mission. When this requirement was put in place, the Congress estimated that it would cost about $6 million to accomplish. The HUD solution? A singular effort by Mike Hollar, who single-handedly has overseen the creation of the LIHTC database, and with no extra money appropriated for its production. Mike developed and executed a plan for this project, which is a demanding combination of managing data sets and contractors, providing training to external organizations, and working with many state partners, including 59 state housing finance agencies. Many state representatives have thanked Dr. Hollar for his help and assistance with this data collection, and the results of this effort will be a deeper understanding of the operations, strengths, and weaknesses of the tax credit program and potential avenues for improvement. Quite impressive.

As you are aware, HUD has made major investments in program evaluation over the past 3 years. Among our various projects, a few stand out as posing particular challenges. One of these is the Housing Choice Voucher Program Administrative Fee Study, which is pioneering a new method for allocating administrative fees to Public Housing Agencies. As you might imagine, this is a very sensitive issue, as this effort could result in substantial shifts in the distribution of administrative fees among Public Housing Agencies. Consequently, it has received intense scrutiny and abundant feedback from the industry and interest groups, who have offered feedback that interacts in complex ways. This has all been navigated effectively by Marina Myhre, who has brought this project into harmony. She showed similar ingenuity with a second key evaluation, the Pre-purchase Counseling Demonstration and Impact Evaluation. To ensure the success of this demonstration, Marina had to convince national lenders and major counseling organizations to partcipate, an effort that ultimately required a unique, innovative research design that accommodated the usual practices of the diverse organizations without imposing additional burdens on the staff of the other participating organizations. For these creative efforts, that also required considerable perseverance while also managing other evaluation projects, Marina is saluted.

As you know, there are always people behind the scenes without whom everything would collapse. For PD&R, Patrick Tewey is one such pillar. Patrick oversees our budget, financial, and procurement areas. He is the consummate professional, and masterfully operates at the intersection between the technical aspects of budgets, the intricate and sometimes obscure processes and standards of procurements, and the specialized details involved with executing research and program evaluations. Moreover, through his creativity, analytical talent, and proactivity, he has developed and executed models and approaches that have become a standard for the Department. Patrick has helped push us to higher performance, improved research products, and better morale. And his dedication to his work is only surpassed by the steadiness and grace with which he does his work. He is a true treasure.

The fourth awardee is Don Darling. Don is the Supervisory Economist for Region VI in Fort Worth, and the acting Supervisory Economist for the Chicago region (Region V, for you versed in HUD-speak). He manages the largest of the field economist teams, which has handled the highest volume of the FHA multifamily insurance reviews among PD&R's field teams. Don is a blur of innovation and energy. He spearheaded the development of a new approach to training new field economists — important because the field team has increased by 30 percent in 2 years — and then personally implemented that program of training, technical assistance, and mentoring via live meeting sessions and conference calls. His passion for training extends beyond just the newbies. He continues to lead numerous trainings for all Economic Market Analysis Division staff to improve technical skills and deepen institutional knowledge. Don also offers major support for HUD's response to disasters, coordinating efforts to provide and analyze disaster data to guide recovery efforts, leading the development of guidelines for field economist response to disasters, and reporting on work on disasters by PD&R staff in PD&R’s U.S. Housing Market Conditions. I marvel at all Don is able to do and we are lucky to have him with us.

Mike, Marina, Patrick, and Don join last year's awardees Susan Brunson, Anne Fletcher, Regina Gray, and Todd Richardson as those who I have had the privilege to recognize for their outstanding work on behalf of the Department. Join me in congratulating them all. And while these awards put the spotlight on a few staff members, PD&R is the home of many more deserving people who will undoubtedly take their turn in the spotlight in years to come. So stay tuned!