People

Sheila Crowley, President of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) were honored in April for their contributions to the passage of
National Housing Trust Fund legislation, as well as for leadership on housing and homelessness issues. The two were recognized in April at the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s 27th Annual Housing Leadership Awards Reception in Washington, DC. President Obama has pledged a $1 billion commitment to the fund, which was established in July 2008. Crowley has also received the National Alliance to End Homelessness’ John W. Macy Award that recognizes achievement in bringing national attention to the affordable housing crisis.

Robert Gallucci, Dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University for the last 13 years, will serve as the next president of the MacArthur Foundation, effective July 1. Before taking up his current post at Georgetown in 1996, Gallucci served as Ambassador-at-Large and Special Envoy for the U.S. State Department, dealing with the threats posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. He was chief U.S. negotiator during the North Korean nuclear crisis of 1994. He also worked as Senior Coordinator for nonproliferation and nuclear safety initiatives in the former Soviet Union and as Deputy Executive Chairman of the UN Special Commission overseeing the disarmament of Iraq in 1991.

Susan C. Fisher, a three-term Democrat in the North Carolina House of Representatives, received the Legislator of the Year Award from the North Carolina Housing Coalition. A champion for reform within the state’s manufactured housing industry, Fisher sponsored and helped to pass North Carolina’s H1700, “Prevent Displacement of Manufactured Homes.” The bill seeks to reward mobile park owners, by way of a financial incentive that would give them a tax credit, if they sell to resident-owned groups or to nonprofits.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) received the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Legislator Award from the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations for her contributions to community development and community economic development at this year’s Third Annual NACEDA Summit in March. Upon accepting the award, Waters also honored the awards namesake, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the Ohio Democrat and affordable-housing advocate who died in August 2008: “She was a very bright, intelligent, competent woman, who worked very hard for her neighborhoods and who worked very hard for poor people, working people, and basically people who need representatives in Washington.”

President Barack Obama nominated Ron Sims, the three-term County Executive of Washington State’s King County, to become the Deputy Secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Other HUD nominations include: Bridge Housing’s Carol Galante as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multi-family Housing Programs; Boston Housing Authority’s Sandra Henriquez, as Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing; and Los Angeles Housing czar Mercedes Márquez as Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD. David Stevens was nominated as Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner.

Shelterforce recognizes the passing of Jack Kemp, the one-time U.S. Representative, HUD secretary, and Republican vice presidential candidate. His ability to work with HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros under President Clinton to develop pragmatic, thoughtful housing policies, and his accessibilty for nonprofits and advocacy groups will be missed.

Organizations

The National Housing Conference & Center for Housing Policy in Washington, DC, the Center for Neighborhood Technology, and the Chicago Community Loan Fund, both based in Chicago, were among eight organizations in five countries that received the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Each organization will receive up to $650,000. For a complete listing of awardees, visit www.nhi.org/go/macarthur.

New Jersey Future, a statewide research and policy group advocating smart growth, announced the winners of its annual smart growth awards, to be issued in June. The awards recognize smarth growth planning and development throughout the state. For a complete list of awardees, go to: www.nhi.org/go/newjerseyfuture.