The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced that Shelley Poticha has been appointed Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities. HUD is working with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) on legislation that seeks to create the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at HUD. Poticha will direct the office if the bill becomes law. Poticha currently serves as the President and CEO of Reconnecting America, where she has become a national leader for the reform of land use and transportation planning and policy with the goal of creating more sustainable and equitable development. Her efforts have stimulated a national conversation about the role of transit in shaping communities and the importance of building diverse and inclusive neighborhoods. Prior to joining Reconnecting America, Poticha was the Executive Director of the Congress for the New Urbanism.
Poticha will be joining James Lopez, senior advisor for sustainability issues to the Deputy Secretary and former Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Management for King County, Washington. Lopez has been leading HUD’s ground-breaking interagency work with the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and Department of Energy. HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims will also be spearheading the Department’s Sustainable Communities Initiative.
HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities will advance housing and communities that promote affordable, livable and sustainable living environments. The Office will provide technical and policy support for energy, green building, and integrated housing and transportation programs at HUD and around the nation. Additionally, the Office will manage the Department’s key relationships with other federal agencies in this arena like the departments of Transportation and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
NH&RA’s Council for Energy Friendly Affordable Housing (CEFAH) is a working group of some of the most active owners and managers of affordable housing. CEFAH has been working closely with HUD and other industry groups to develop policies and solution to help improve the energy and utility performance of the HUD assisted portfolio. CEFAH will be convening a meeting at the NH&RA Summer Institute with Jerry R. Anderson, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary, HUD/ Office of Affordable Housing Preservation at the 2009 Summer Institute. Click here to learn more about CEFAH.
