Introducing HUB Director Sam Young

Introducing HUB Director Sam Young

By Sam Young, EMAD Regional Director, Region 5 and HUB Director, Regions 5, 6, 7, 8

Sam Young, EMAD Regional Director, Region 5 and HUB Director, Regions 5, 6, 7, 8.

Hello! I’m Sam Young, and I’ve spent my 14-year federal career in the Economic and Market Analysis Division (EMAD), part of HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R). After EMAD’s recent reorganization, I am excited to assume one of the two recently created HUB Director positions — the HUB Director for the Central regions, informally known as the EMAD Freshwater HUB. I will continue my role as EMAD’s regional director for Region V (Great Lakes) in addition to overseeing HUD Regions VI (Southwest), VII (Great Plains), and VIII (Rocky Mountain). The Freshwater HUB encompasses the geography of my HUD career. I began working as a Field Economist in HUD’s Denver office in 2010, at the tail end of the Great Recession. In that role, my work focused on areas within the Rocky Mountain region, including Colorado Springs, which is home to five military bases. That in-depth housing market research on military-impacted markets eventually led to an Insights Into Housing and Community Development Policy paper, “Community Housing Impacts of the Military Housing Privatization Initiative,” in October 2015.  My tenure in the Rocky Mountain region also encompassed the fracking boom in the United States. One of the primary markets was the Bakken Formation area in western North Dakota, and I led the Gas/Oil EMAD Task Force focused on the housing market impacts of the domestic energy market. This research led to speaking engagements at several events as well as published research, some of which is available at huduser.gov.

In 2016, I relocated to the Chicago EMAD office to become a team lead and worked with great staff in the Great Lakes region before becoming the EMAD Regional Director in 2018. Representing EMAD in the Great Lakes region has been a learning experience, and it presented some unique opportunities. I worked with peers to publish research in Cityscape on the role of multifamily finance during the Great Recession; presented at a Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria partner summit in Birmingham, Alabama; was interviewed by Minneapolis Public Radio about tight rental markets in Minneapolis; and presented research at Binghamton University about housing choice voucher use. I also present annually at the Regional Federal Convening that HUD’s Office of Field Policy and Management hosts. My Great Lakes team handles most of EMAD’s contracting work, and one of the team’s senior economists spearheaded the integration of maps into EMAD’s published work. Working with these dedicated professionals is a privilege. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when HUD offices were closed, I initiated an EMAD book club and a virtual weekly coffee klatch, both of which helped maintain relationships during lockdown. We also had guest speakers and industry professionals address the EMAD team to ensure that we had the best information to help fulfill EMAD’s mission. These initiatives proved popular and are still going strong today.

I like to describe my role at EMAD as being “professionally curious.” Our task is to research our regional and local housing markets and make sense of trends. PD&R and EMAD are committed to providing training resources for staff and managers to best meet our work responsibilities. I have had the pleasure of completing training from Wharton Executive Education in adaptable leadership, and Mortgage Bankers Association training for multifamily finance. All EMAD staff members have benefited from StrengthsFinder training, which helps us apply our innate strengths to our work life. I have watched EMAD grow during my tenure at HUD, and my former supervisor, Pam Sharpe, did a fantastic job of ensuring that EMAD remained at the forefront of PD&R. As I settle into my new role as HUB Director alongside Patty Moroz and under the guidance of our new director of EMAD, Erin Browne, I hope we can continue that legacy of adaptable thinking and keeping EMAD relevant, fresh, and engaged with the future.