Lourdes Castro Ramírez to Lead Office of Public and Indian Housing

HUD Secretary Julían Castro announced in a Feb. 27 letter to HUD employees that he was appointing Lourdes Castro Ramírez to be Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing (PIH).

President Obama nominated Ms. Castro Ramírez to be the Assistant Secretary for PIH on Aug. 1, 2014, and her nomination was approved by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on Nov. 19. However, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) put a hold on her nomination on Nov. 12. Senator Grassley’s objections were related to the Moving to Work (MTW) program. But the position of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary doesn’t require Senate confirmation. And Ms. Castro Ramírez will be the highest ranking official at PIH.

Ms. Castro Ramírez’s prior post was the President and CEO of the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA), a Moving to Work (MTW) public housing agency. She began her career with Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation in Ventura County, Calif. Later, she joined the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, where she first served as Director of the Jobs-Plus program and then as Director of the Housing Choice Voucher program.