WASHINGTON — Brian Montgomery, commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, will serve as the acting No. 2 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development following the resignation of Deputy Secretary Pam Patenaude.
Secretary Ben Carson on Monday announced that Patenaude will step down in January. Patenaude plans to return to private life in New Hampshire with her husband after a 35-year career in housing, she said in a statement via Twitter. As deputy secretary, Patenaude led the department’s disaster recovery response following a series of destructive hurricanes and wildfires.
Prior to serving in the Trump administration, Patenaude was the HUD assistant secretary for community, planning and development under President George W. Bush.
“It has been an honor to serve President Trump and Secretary Carson and I am deeply grateful to both for this opportunity,” Patenaude said in a statement. “Thank you to my HUD family and fellow ‘housers’ for helping Americans access decent, safe and affordable housing.”
Carson also announced in an email to HUD staff that Montgomery will serve as acting deputy secretary after Patenaude departs.
“The Department and those we serve are in good hands as we have a very deep bench of political and career employees with decades of relevant experience,” Carson said to his colleagues. “Our efforts to increase the supply of affordable housing, end homelessness, enforce fair housing laws, respond to disasters, improve the fiscal condition of HUD and ensure Americans have access to safe, sanitary and decent housing will continue unabated.”
