HUD SECRETARY DONOVAN NAMES MARY MCBRIDE AS HUD'S NORTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR

SEATTLE - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today announced President Barack Obama's selection of Mary McBride to serve as HUD Regional Director for the four states in HUD's Northwest Region including Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.

As the regional director, McBride will serve as HUD's liaison to mayors, city managers, elected representatives, state and local officials, congressional delegations, stakeholders and customers. She will be responsible for overseeing the delivery of HUD programs and services to communities, as well as evaluating their efficiency and effectiveness.

"Mary knows the region and is the ideal person to help us build partnerships that will ultimately improve upon our services and the delivery of programs to the communities that rely on them," said Donovan. "Her economic and community development experiences will be great assets to us as we assist communities during these challenging economic times. I am excited to have her as a part of our team."

"I am honored to be asked to serve as the HUD Region X Director," McBride said. "I look forward to working with Secretary Donovan, Deputy Secretary Sims, and HUD stakeholders to remove barriers, create greater efficiencies,
and accomplish needed reform and improvements within HUD."

Most recently, McBride served as the South Sound Regional Director for U.S. Senator Patty Murray. In that capacity, she was responsible for addressing diverse constituent concerns and needs by providing resource referrals and problem-solving assistance to organizations, municipalities, businesses, associations, and individuals. She was a lead resource to Senator Murray for statewide initiatives involving affordable, public and farmworker housing, and community and economic development issues.

Prior to joining Senator Murray's staff, Mary was an appointee of the Clinton Administration serving in the position of Director of USDA - Rural Development for Washington State. Mary has over 25 years of proactive, results-oriented experiences in the areas of economic and community development at local, regional, state, national, and
international levels. She is a recognized leader in reducing barriers, streamlining processes, forming effective,
results-oriented partnerships, and creating customer driven efficiencies.

A Georgia Southern University graduate, McBride earned a Bachelor of Sciences degree in criminal justice and continued her post graduate work at Eastern Washington University focusing on regional and urban planning.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.