Erika Poethig, Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research

In June 2012, Erika C. Poethig was named Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research (PD&R) at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ms. Poethig leads a talented and diverse team of approximately 150 staff responsible for research on important housing and community development issues, policy analysis and program development assistance, and current information on housing needs, economic and housing market conditions at the regional, city, and local levels. This information helps the Secretary and other principal staff make informed decisions on HUD policies and programs, as well as budget and legislative proposals.

Ms. Poethig joined the Administration when she was appointed by President Obama in May 2009 to be HUD?s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development. Prior to federal service, she was most recently the Associate Director for Affordable Housing at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation where she focused on regional policy and practice, housing policy and research, and the Foundation?s $150 million special initiative for the preservation of affordable rental housing. Ms. Poethig also served as Assistant Commissioner for Policy, Resource and Program Development at the City of Chicago's Department of Housing, where she directed the department's city, state and federal policy agendas. Poethig oversaw a staff with responsibility for policy and research, program evaluation and program development. In the late 1990s, she developed Mayor Daley?s campaign to combat predatory lending, prevent foreclosures and stabilize communities. She also led city support for a newly created state-issued tax credit for donations to not-for-profit organizations developing affordable housing. Previously, she was Associate Project Director of the Metropolis Project, which resulted in the creation of the Metropolis 2020 agenda for regional leadership around the major issues faced by the metropolitan Chicago area. Poethig was a Phi Beta Kappa from the College of Wooster, a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Vienna, and graduated with honors with a master's in Public Policy from the University of Chicago.