Message from Secretary Ray Skinner
The
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has long been a
leader in housing and community development that is empowered to create
partnerships with local governments and non-profit organizations to identify
and designate neighborhoods and communities for revitalization and development.
Our mission is clear – to expand the amount of affordable housing in the state,
promote homeownership among residents and, in partnership with local
governments, upgrade and revitalize neighborhoods and communities.
BREAKING NEWS
2008 Governor’s Annual Housing Conference -
“Building Sustainable Communities, Securing Our Future”
More
than 600 people attended the 2008 Governor’s Annual Housing Conference,
sponsored by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
(DHCD) and the Home Builders Association of Maryland (HBAM) and held on
December 9 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Robert E. Carpenter, PhD, Lead
Financial Economist from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond served as keynote
speaker and DHCD Secretary offered remarks during the opening session.
DHCD Sponsors Fair Housing Event on Maryland's Eastern Shore
The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) sponsored a Fair Housing Outreach event in Cambridge on December 12 to educate and inform Eastern Shore residents. The event at Chesapeake College touched on national, state and local fair housing efforts which traditionally address ending discrimination in the rental or purchase of homes and a broad range of other housing-related transactions, such as advertising, mortgage lending, homeowner's insurance and zoning.
Rising Foreclosures – What do the numbers really mean for Maryland homeowners?
Maryland residents have been feeling the effects of the growing housing crisis and DHCD has been tracking foreclosure data by county and zip code to help the state and local communities strategically address the problem and hopefully reduce its impact on communities.
Neighborhood BusinessWorks
Investment in Neighborhood/Community Small Businesses Paying Big Dividends
When Mike Franklin opened his small sandwich shop in a historic Hyattsville neighborhood 16 years ago, he did not imagine that it would become the bustling, iconic restaurant, brewery and kitschy store that it is today.
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Affordable Homes Saved in Montgomery County
Takoma Park residents who were in danger of losing their low-income housing to condo developers will be able to remain in their newly renovated homes, thanks to the efforts of the Montgomery Housing Partnership. The Merrimac Gardens apartments had fallen into disrepair but residents stuck it out because the homes were affordable. To avoid the displacement of hundreds of residents in the neighborhood, the Montgomery Housing Partnership raised nearly $15 million in private and public funding to purchase three properties and refurbish them.
Helping Maryland’s Hometown Heroes Become Homeowners
Who
are our Hometown Heroes? They are first responders such as police officers and
firefighters. They are the public school teachers and librarians who feed the
hungry minds of our children and the thousands of dedicated professionals who
serve in local, county and state government offices.
On Nov. 19, DHCD Deputy Secretary Clarence Snuggs joined Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and local housing officials at the Village at King Farm in Rockville to unveil exciting initiatives aimed at helping those who work in our communities live in our communities.
Governor O’Malley Forges Foreclosure Relief Agreement with Mortgage Servicing Companies
On
Nov. 7, Governor Martin O’Malley emerged from intensive negotiations with six
mortgage servicing companies to announce creation of a streamlined and
transparent loss mitigation process for distressed Maryland homeowners.
“During this time of economic uncertainty, we must do all that we can to
protect our middle class families and keep our families in their homes,” the
Governor said. “I want to thank these six lending companies for taking the lead
in their industry and becoming part of the solution for distressed homeowners
in Maryland.”
DHCD’s Leadership Team
RAYMOND A. SKINNER
Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Raymond
A. Skinner was appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley as Secretary of the
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development in February 2007. In
this position, which he also held under Governor Parris Glendening from 1998 to
2003, Mr. Skinner manages the state’s housing finance, mortgage insurance,
community development, and building code programs. Prior to his appointment he
was President and CEO of The Skinner Group LLC, a consulting firm providing
services in affordable housing finance, community and economic development, and
government relations. Mr. Skinner has more than 25 years of professional
experience in affordable housing and community revitalization and has been an
active leader in the field. Previously, he served as director of the Prince
George’s County Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and as
executive director of the District of Columbia Office of Business and Economic
Development. Mr. Skinner holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Pennsylvania
State University and a Master of City Planning from the University of
Pennsylvania. He also has completed the Program for Senior Executives in State
and Local Government at Harvard University.
Clarence J. Snuggs
Deputy Secretary, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
Clarence
J. Snuggs was appointed by the Secretary, effective March 26, 2007, as Deputy
Secretary of the Department of Housing and Community Development. Since 2003,
Mr. Snuggs served as Director of Enterprise Community Partners' Baltimore
office. In that capacity he had overall responsibility for operating the office
and its programs, which focused on affordable housing production, capacity
building for local community leaders and community-based organizations, public
education system reforms and other community development initiatives. Between
1998 and 2003, Mr. Snuggs was Deputy Executive Director and Corporate Treasurer
for the congressionally chartered Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation in
Washington, D.C. Prior to Neighborhood Reinvestment, Mr. Snuggs served as Vice
President for Community Lending at Maryland National Bank and Signet Bank. Mr.
Snuggs has been active in affordable housing and community development for
nearly 20 years through his leadership and involvement in a host of regional
and local community and civic organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
from Winston-Salem State University and a MBA degree from Howard University.
Frank Coakley
Assistant Secretary, Division of Development Finance & Community
Development Administration
Mr.
Coakley returns as Assistant Secretary and Director of CDA, after having held
those offices from 1995 to 2000. In his most recent position as Senior Vice
President/Branch Administration for Harbor Bank of Maryland, Mr. Coakley was
responsible for supervision of the retail branch offices ensuring that banking,
sales and administrative functions were conducted in accordance with internal
policies and federal regulations. He also was responsible for directing the
branch operations, administration, policy development, ATM network, marketing
outreach, and member compliance. Mr. Coakley earned a bachelor’s degree in
business administration from Morgan State University and matriculated through
the University of Maryland’s Bankers School, which educates bankers regarding
credit, administrative, and personnel procedures in the banking industry.
Carol A. Gilbert
Assistant Secretary, Division of Neighborhood Revitalization
As
Assistant Secretary, Ms. Gilbert serves as Director of the Division of
Neighborhood Revitalization, the office responsible for administering the
majority of DHCD’s community development and revitalization programs, including
the Community Legacy Program, the Neighborhood BusinessWorks Program, and the
Community Development Block Grant Program. Before joining DHCD, Ms. Gilbert
served as both a program consultant and program officer with the Goldseker
Foundation, specializing in providing investment strategies and community
development expertise to support nonprofit organizations helping communities
and individuals in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Ms. Gilbert is a former
executive director of the Neighborhood Design Center, a 30 year-old nonprofit
organization dedicated to providing lower income communities access to
professional community design services. She also founded the Baltimore
Homeownership Preservation Coalition, a public-private partnership working to
prevent the loss of affordable housing due to mortgage foreclosure and
predatory lending. Ms. Gilbert received a bachelor’s degree in English from the
University of Virginia and a master’s degree in architecture from the
University of Maryland College Park’s Graduate School of Architecture.
Simone C. Johnson
Chief of Staff
As
Chief of Staff, Ms. Johnson serves as a senior and trusted advisor to the
Secretary and assists the Secretary in managing the day-to-day operations of
the Department’s Executive Office. Ms. Johnson has over 10 years of experience
in Maryland State Government. Her most recent stint with State government
before transferring to the Department was with the Maryland Aviation
Administration (MAA), a Maryland Department of Transportation modal
administration. While with the MAA, she directed the preparation and update of
the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) Terminal
Development Plan to identify current and future space deficiencies and to
prepare a plan that meets passenger, visitor, and baggage processing
requirements and accommodates future air passenger volumes; oversaw the
planning for the New Airport Administration Office Building inclusive of a
financial and benefit-cost analysis, site selection, and traffic impact
studies; managed the development of the BWI Airport Strategic Plan; developed
an airport circulation plan that used a flexible network of diverse but
complementary forms of transportation; and administered statewide airport
economic impact studies to identify and quantify primary and secondary economic
benefits of BWI, Martin State Airport, and Maryland system airports. Ms.
Johnson has also held positions in the Maryland Department of Human Resources,
the Department of Transportation, the State Highway Administration, and the
Maryland Department of Budget and Management. She also served in the Governor’s
Office during the term of former Governor Parris Glendening as a special
assistant to the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff. Ms. Johnson
earned both a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in
city and regional planning from Morgan State University.
