Join us for this Public Policy in Practice event as we welcome Adrianne Todman, the 12th Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Deputy Secretary Todman has dedicated her career to improving people’s lives and strengthening communities through housing.
Deputy Secretary Todman served as the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) from 2017 to June 2021. During her tenure, Deputy Secretary Todman improved the association’s financial standing and business operations, created a member-centric culture, and advocated for funding and policies to preserve and develop affordable housing and help communities thrive.
Before joining NAHRO, Deputy Secretary Todman served as the Executive Director of the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA). At DCHA, Ms. Todman implemented a national award-winning model to house veterans experiencing homelessness, increased homeownership opportunities by 50 percent for low- and moderate-income families served by DCHA, increased the number of affordable units available in sub-markets experiencing rapid growth, and oversaw 12 concurrent large redevelopment efforts. She prioritized services for youth, workforce development, and commissioned the first citywide needs assessment of public housing residents.
Deputy Secretary Todman previously served in several career positions at HUD. First, as a manager of HUD’s $500 million grant competition that focused on the redevelopment of distressed public housing sites and then as a policy aide in both the Office of Public and Indian Housing and the Office of the Secretary where she worked with staff across HUD’s programs on policy solutions and streamlining implementation.
Deputy Secretary Todman believes that we have a responsibility to confront housing insecurity and help ensure access to good homes, to eliminate all forms of housing discrimination, and to build our nation’s housing infrastructure in a way that expands equitable access to housing for all people.
As Deputy Secretary, Todman works alongside Secretary Marcia Fudge to ensure that HUD has the staff and tools it needs to administer and provide oversight over programs critical to supporting people and communities across the country.
Deputy Secretary Todman’s career in public service began in the office of then-Congressman Ron de Lugo, a long-serving delegate representing the U.S. Virgin Islands, where Todman was born and raised. She is a graduate of Smith College. She lives in Washington, D.C.
About the series:
The Public Policy in Practice Series, led by Fels Distinguished Fellow Elizabeth Vale, is designed to provide students with a variety of perspectives and compelling personal narratives that will help them not only form their opinions on important issues but will also help shape their careers. This series is offered in conjunction with the Fels graduate Public Management course required of all Fels MPA and Executive MPA students. Fels is proud to offer these important conversations to the entire Penn community and members of the public.
Remarks begin promptly at 6 p.m.
